In Love and Married
by Ojjacob
Summary: Ranger and Stephanie are married, this is going to be fluff and fun. No one is hurt, language alert. Merry Men and antics. This is a joint story co-authored by Melanie Campbell and Ojjacob. We do not own any of the characters, JE owns all characters, we own the fluff and fun. Thank you JE for letting us play with your babies.
1. Chapter 1

_**In Love and Married.**_

A Babe Story with a mix of Merry Men It will be fluff and fun. This is collaboration between Melanie Campbell and me.

We own nothing; all the characters belong to JE. Thanks JE for letting us play with your babies.

As I was waiting for someone to come and pick me up, I was looking at my ring finger, I still couldn't get used to the idea of being Stephanie Manoso 6 months had gone by pretty quickly. I got to thinking about our wedding and honeymoon.

I wanted to get married in Las Vegas but Ranger wanted to give me a wedding that I would never forget, he wanted me to always remember our special day. I fought him about having a formal wedding because of the fiasco of my wedding day to Dickie.

Ranger promised our wedding would be nothing like that fateful day, he had hired a wedding coordinator who took care of everything, all Ranger and I had to do was agree or disagree. I have to admit it was a beautiful day, one that I will always cherish. Thankfully, Ranger put his foot down from the beginning; my mother was not going to be involved.

So why am I sitting waiting for someone to pick me up? Well in case you haven't figured it out, another car blew up. Yep, my brand new Cayenne that Ranger bought me, he told me that he had been looking for something to put my engagement ring in and the Cayenne was all he could find. Funny guy.

We had all just returned from a take-down with one of the biggest Neanderthal I have ever seen in my life , it was a tough day we were through and had returned back to the garage, there it was this beautiful blue, yes I said blue, Ranger totally went against the grain.

I sat in my seat and stared at it in awe, it was beautiful.

"Ranger, who does the Cayenne belong to?"

"Happy early birthday babe."

"What! Wait, that's for me?"

I jumped out of the car, ran over to the Cayenne it was gorgeous; I opened the door and sat inside. As I was looking around the car, there was a black box attached to a ribbon hanging from the rear view mirror.

Ranger, Tank, Manny, Hector, Lester, and Bobby were all standing around the car and Ranger got into the passenger seat and had a big smile on his face.

"What is that box hanging from the mirror?"

He took it off the mirror and turned to look at me, my heart started pounding, and I had butterflies in my stomach.

"Stephanie Michelle Plum I love you, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

"Oh my God Ranger, yes, yes, yes, yes, I too want to spend the rest of my life with you."

The guys were all yelling and clapping outside Tank got on his knees and raised his hands up towards the sky and screamed.

"Thank the good Lord; they finally pulled out their heads."

Everyone started laughing as Ranger and I had our lips locked. We sat there looking at each other smiling. We got out of the car to my Merry Men waiting to hug and kiss me. That was a great day.

Sirens brought me to reality and tears started flowing as I looked at my engagement gift going up in smoke, today is a sad sad day. All that was going through my mind was how much I was missing Ranger; he was in DC finalizing some contracts for Rangeman. My phone rang; it was Ranger and he was in panic mode.

"Babe are you all right?"

"Yes I am, please don't be mad at me, but my beautiful engagement gift is up in smoke, I'm so sorry. When are you coming home?"

"Babe as long as you're all right and in one piece, that's all I care about, I can replace the car, I can never replace you."

Lester and Tank came over to me; I said hello and Ranger wanted to talk to Tank. After a few minutes, we were heading back to Haywood with me still in tears.

My Merry men were all on high alert mode and they took me upstairs, we sat in the conference room trying to figure who could be behind this. As the guys were sifting through scenarios and ideas I thought back to our wedding, our honeymoon and my life as a married woman.

I loved being married especially to Ranger; I sometimes wonder if he has second thoughts especially days like today. Woody, Hal, Ram, and Cal all joined us in the conference room. Tank cleared his throat to get my attention.

We all threw out ideas and various possibilities as to who my latest stalker could possibly be. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks, it's somehow related to Ranger buying the bonds office, weird shit started right after that happened.

Harry the Hammer wanted out and he knew that Vinnie didn't have the money to buy the bonds office so he approached Ranger. There was a big meeting about it with Ranger, Tank, my merry men, and me. We took a vote. It was unanimous everyone was all for it.

Ranger bought it and slightly changed the name; it is now Plum Bail Bonds. There is a connection, but what it is I can't figure out quite yet.

"Tank, did Ranger say when he was coming home?"

"Yes, he will be home late tonight, his flight gets in around 3am. Ram, Cal, plan on going to pick him up at Newark."

"Hey can I go with you?" I asked.

"Sure bomber, we will leave here around 0130."

"OK, will do."

I decided to go upstairs and take a nap, he's been gone for three weeks and I wanted to be rested up for him because I know full well, he is not going to just come home and sleep. It was going to be a night full of physical activities I couldn't wait.

What should I wear for his arrival, oh I know, I have that tight barely there dress that I wore for a distraction with my above the knee boots and my leather coat. Ranger may not be happy that I am wearing it with the guys being in the car, but they won't know.

When we get home, he will walk into a dimly lit apartment with the fireplace going and soft music playing, then I will rip my coat off and hello Ranger.

I straightened up the apartment, lit scented candles so that the apartment smelled nice and I set the timer to wake me up after a few hours so I could take a shower and get all dolled up for my sexy Cuban man who has been out of town for 3 long weeks.

The apartment was all taken care of except the bedroom, the candles were lit, and I turned on the fireplace. It was time for the bedroom. I sprayed Bvalgari body spray all over the sheets, pillows, I sprayed so much that I started sneezing like crazy. I will spray again before I leave so that by the time we get back it will have a slight scent.

Now time to relax, I turned on the TV to watch Burn Notice, I love that show and I fell asleep so much for catching up on one of my favorite shows.

At 11:30, the alarm went off on my phone. I jumped in the shower, fixed my hair, and put on makeup, got dressed. I looked in the mirror and I have to admit I was smoking. I made sure everything was all nice and neat in the bedroom, sprayed more of the body spray in the bedroom, fluffed up the pillows on the couch, sprayed and put the spray back in the dressing room and headed downstairs.

The guys were waiting for me, Cal gave me a quizzical look and a raised eyebrow.

"What?!"

"Oh nothing bomber nothing at all."

We got into the car and drove to Newark to pick up one sexy hunk of man who just happened to be my husband. I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into him.

I had some time to think while I was watching my beautiful Cayenne go up in smoke and one of the ideas was to talk to Ranger about was a road trip. Disney World, Ranger and I along with my merry men, we would go and pick up Julie on the way and spend 10 days at Disney. Once I was done with him tonight, he would definitely agree to a trip to Disney.

Ram was looking at me from the rear view mirror.

"Hey bomber, I see wheels turning in that beautiful head of yours, what's going on in there, what are you up to?"

"Nothing, just thinking about everything I need to talk to Ranger about."

"OH please, bomber you are up to something, isn't that right Cal?"

"Yep Ram, you are 100% correct, bomber has something devilish going on in that mind of hers."

I laughed at them and their comments.

"You'll never know what is lurking in my mind boys."

We arrived a few minutes before deplaning and I told the guys I would go and wait for him at the baggage claim. I got out and walked towards baggage and I waited.

"Hey Ram, what do you think bomber is or isn't wearing under that leather?"

"Man Cal, shut up don't get that conversation started and get me all riled up, not with boss mans wife, but you had better go and stand within view of bomber, if Ranger sees her there alone looking like that, he will be pissed."

"Shit man you're right."

I was getting checked out by a couple of guys waiting for their luggage at another carrousel and it was making me nervous, maybe it wasn't such a good idea to be dressed like this, I should have waited for him at home.

From the corner of my eye, I saw movement as one of the men was inching his way over to me and suddenly, Cal was in his face. The guy started to say something and Cal spoke first, not quite sure what was said but the guy moved back quickly.

"You OK, bomber?"

"Yeah Cal, thanks for taking care of that."

Cal moved back a few steps and stood there in his bodyguard stance and then the most beautiful sight appeared down the escalator and my heart went thumpity thump, I walked over to the escalator and my sexy husband was smiling from ear to ear. What a gorgeous human being ever to exist and he was all mine.

I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him; he put my face in his hands and looked at me beaming.

"Babe."

"Ranger, I am so glad you're home."

"How's my sexy wife?"

I laughed and we walked over to the carrousel, he nodded at Cal and saw the two guys from earlier staring at us. He looked at them and then at me.

"Something I should know about?"

"No darling, Cal already defused the situation."

The bag came around; he picked it up and put his arm around me as we made our way out to the car. I felt eyes on me as we were walking out. Ram was waiting outside the car then opened the door for Ranger and Cal opened the door for me. How people mistake these guys for animals is beyond me.

We both got in the car and Ranger pulled me closer to him and whispered in my ear.

"I missed you babe, I can't wait to see what's under that coat and then rip if off you."

I felt myself turning red and kissed his cheek, I couldn't wait for him to rip the dress off me either. Ha ha, I am such a slut puppy.

We arrived at Haywood and got out of the car, and went straight up to 7. Ranger opened the door I walked in ahead of him, stood in the middle of the room started to unbutton my coat and slowly took my coat off letting it drop on the floor.

"Babe, you are hot, you make that dress look like a million bucks."

"Welcome home honey, I missed you"

I walked over to him, took his hand and led him to the bedroom, he was purring like a kitten and knew I was in for a long night, a very long heart thumping night.

After many rounds of pleasure and sexy Cuban induced orgasms, we were lying with arms wrapped around each other. I missed him so much, thankfully no more going in the wind I can deal with him being gone a few weeks as long as I talk to him every day.

It was now 7:30am when everyone was waking up, we were about to get some sleep. Ranger called Tank and told him that both of us were off line until about 6:00pm, he had already given Ram and Cal instructions to be off line until 3:00pm.

We fell asleep with arms wrapped around each other and I was in my happy land.


	2. Who Can It Be

_**"In Love and Married"**_

_**~2~**_

_**Who Can It Be**_

Previously...

We fell asleep with arms wrapped around each other and I was in my happy land.

Normally, after being up all night and having engaged in a lot of amorous activity, I would be in a sleep coma for at least twelve hours. Carlos and I only had eight hours more left offline, and apparently, my husband wasn't going to waste that time sleeping. He had other plans.

"Mm..." I moaned and turned into his arms. He was busy trailing kisses on my neck.

"Good Morning, Babe." He whispered as his kisses moved downward.

"Sleeping here, Batman."

"Are you complaining?" He laughed softly.

"Yes."

He stopped and looked up at me.

"Lower." I said licking my lips.

"Yes ma'am."

.…

"Hm.."

"Did you fall back to sleep?" Ranger shook his head. His hair was still damp from his shower, but he was fully dressed and ready to go. "I said, I'll see you tonight for dinner. I need to meet with Tank and listen to him complain about all the paperwork he had to do while I was gone. So," He leaned down and kissed me tenderly.

"So... If you come back to bed, I'll agree to anything." I pulled him closer.

"You're killing me, Babe. It is already four o'clock. "

"Don't care." I told him and let my hands roam.

He laughed softly. "To be continued."

My pout earned a louder laugh. "Dinner, in or out tonight?"

"Definitely in. More time with you alone." I told him, and then swatted his fine ass when he turned to walk away.

"Deal. Later, Mrs. Manso."

"I love hearing that. Oh, wait."

He stopped at the door and waited.

"Turn off the light, I need five more minutes."

The last thing I heard was his laughter, then it was lights out for me.

.…

When I awoke again, it was dark. I felt the tingles running down my neck signaling my husband was near.

"Why am I not surprised at finding you still asleep?"

"Just five more minutes." I groggily replied.

"I think you have hibernated enough. Time to get up."

"Or...time for you to come back to bed." I told him in my most sexy sleepy voice.

"I know what will get you up." He opened the bedroom door, and the delicious smells of dinner drifted into the room. My stomach was the first to respond.

"The beast is up." He laughed.

"Breakfast in bed?" I pleaded.

"Dinner, Babe, and no. If you want this food, you are going to have to come and get it."

"Fine." I got out of bed, and stood in front of him with my hands on my hips and still naked. It was his turn to lick his lips, and when he reached out for me, I stepped aside.

"Oh no you don't. You had your chance."

The next thing I heard was a string of Spanish that I had no idea what it meant, but by the dark hungry look in his eyes, I could guess. I quickly grabbed some panties and one of his t-shirts, and threw them on.

"Let's eat." I told him with a wink, and was rewarded with a slap on the ass.

.…

"Mm...This is so good." I moaned, and opened my eyes to see Carlos squirming in his chair. "Sorry, but it is... mm..."

"Damn, I missed you."

"You had your chance to show me again, but no... Now, you will have to wait till I finish eating my dinner." She teased him.

He chuckled under his breath. He poured us a second glass of wine. "Fine. You eat. I need to talk to you anyway."

Well, that doesn't sound good. Am I in trouble?

"No, you are not in trouble."

I stared at him wide-eyed in surprise.

"Out loud." He smirked.

I hid my embarrassment behind the wine glass while I took another sip.

"I want to talk about the car." He began.

I quickly put my glass down. "I am so sorry! I loved that car!" I pleaded.

"Calm down, Babe. I am not upset with you. Just upset that you were in danger." He took my hand in his. "I love you."

My heart melted. I got up, walked over to him, and straddled him. I held his head in my hands. "I love you, Batman." Then, I kissed him with everything I had.

When we finally came up for air, he held me tight and looked me in the eyes.

"Do you have any idea who is behind this?" He questioned. "Any crazy skips? The guys have been helping you, right?"

"Of course. Lester partners with me a lot, and when he can't, someone else rotates in. Besides," I gave him a Burg stare. "I am quite capable of handling things on my own. Most of the time."

"I know you are, Babe." He answered with a kiss.

"I'll have you know..." I pointed at him. "That Lester has been covered in garbage more than I have lately."

"That makes me feel so much better." He said flatly.

I swatted him, and earned a small smile.

"Seriously, Stephanie."

Eek! Stephanie?

"Do you have any idea who would want you dead?" He asked with worry in his eyes, and I felt his hold on me tighten.


	3. Instincts and Spidey Senses

~3~

Instincts &amp; Spidey Senses.

Previously

"Seriously, Stephanie."

Eeek! Stephanie

"Do you have any idea who would want you dead?" He asked with worry in his eyes, and I felt his hold on me tighten.

….

As I sat thinking for a few minutes about the question Carlos asked me, I couldn't help but go back to my original thought as to who it could be.

"Carlos, I think this has something to do with buying the bonds office, weird things happened right after.

"You mean Vinnie?"

"No, I'm not suggesting that it's Vinnie but it has to be someone who was associated with Harry the Hammer."

"Babe, I don't want you going anywhere without someone with you at all times and not just one person, I want a team with you."

"Carlos, that is ridiculous."

"Not an option Stephanie, you can choose your own team, or I will put one together for you."

I got up and walked away from him in a huff. To say I was pissed is not the half of it. I was fuming. He immediately followed me grabbing my arm and pulling me over to the couch.

"Stephanie, I know you hate having a shadow, let alone a team, I'm sorry but you don't have a choice in this matter, especially if your spidey senses are going off."

I know he's right, now with this crap, I'm not going to be able to get him to agree to a road trip. On the other hand, I can use this to my advantage. Hmmm...

"OK, I will agree to a team with me at all times, you can choose the team if you want."

I hated being so devious but he deserves it, having a team is over the top, I put on such a show with a sad pouty face, a voice that sounded as if I lost the war, oh well, all is fair in love and war, isn't that what they say?

"Thank you babe, is there anyone you don't want on your team?"

"Yes, that someone would be you."

"I fully understand Stephanie."

Oh no you don't, you understand nothing at all, I thought to myself and tried to hold my devilish smile to myself.

"Steph, tomorrow morning, we meet first thing to run through some ideas."

"OK Carlos, but you owe me, owe me big. When this is all over, I expect you to pay up, no matter what it is and I mean no matter what, got it?"

He looked at me, wondering what I was up to; he relaxed his hold on me. And there it was, I won this war, yes sir I sure did. I want to do a little jig, but I have to keep my sad pouty, you won look on my face.

"All right babe, you got it, when this is all over no matter what I will pay up, I promise. Can you give me a hint as to what it is?"

"Oh no can do Kemosabe."

I waved my index finger at him. I think he was actually scared, ha ha, I pulled one over on batman. We sat on the couch watching TV.

"Babe, why do you think that someone associated with Harry is responsible for the bombing?"

"I'm not really sure other than weird shit started to happen right after the bonds office was officially ours."

"Did anything significant happen?"

I was trying to think of everything in chronological order, I should have gone with my first thought, and written everything down as they happened, that dang shoulda, coulda, woulda.

"Once all the paperwork was signed, you left for your trip. The day they were putting up the new sign above the door, I was at the bonds office with Lester. We were inside while the installers were putting up the sign."

I knew he was going to get pissed off as soon as I tell him about the shooting.

"The sign was up and the guys came inside and asked Lester and I to come and take a look. We went outside and it was perfect, we told them they did a good job and they left."

"Lester and I got into the truck, pulled away and a few seconds later shots were fired right into the sign completely shattering it."

There it was, one pissed off Ranger, there is a little vein on the side of his head that pulsates when he's extremely pissed and it was pulsating.

"What else."

"After that, we ordered a new sign, a few days later Connie called me and said that she had to go to the PD and write up about 35 bonds that were valued at 750.00."

"That's really strange right?"

"Yes babe, you're correct, it is really strange, what else?"

"The next weird thing a package was delivered to the bonds office for me, I told Connie and Lula not to open it, that I would send someone to pick it up and we would scan it here."

I started to get a little shaky and Carlos wrapped his arm around my shoulder and held me closer to him.

"Once the package was cleared, I opened it and inside the box was an index finger with a note that said. _**You think you're so cute with your little finger waves, not for long sunshine. You will realize what a big mistake you made by buying the bonds business. **_After that, more stupid little bonds popped up that Connie had to write."

Carlos was not a happy camper right now and I felt really really bad for deceiving him about the payback.

"At the staff meeting, we discussed the issue of the low bonds and Tank agreed that it was not worth our time, we were just going to let them go, we'd spend more in manpower to collect bonds that were chump change."

"A few days later, Connie called and told us that all the charges had been dropped on those bonds."

Carlos sat looking at me.

"What were you doing when the car blew up?"

"I was at the bonds office with Hector, picking up files, legitimate ones. When FD came to check on it, the Fire Marshall said the bomb was set on a timer. Hector surveyed the area and called in back up they searched and found nothing."

"Is that everything?"

"Yes it is."

"Why didn't anyone tell me as these things were happening?"

So now, I was going to be in big trouble for this one.

"I asked the guys not to say anything to you, I didn't want it to affect your meetings I know those contracts are important to Rangeman."

10, 9, 8, 7, 6….Yep that is as far as I got before he blew a gasket, he stood up, paced the floor and came over to the couch, lifted me up and looked at me. I wasn't sure what he was going to do, I was getting kind of scared.

"Stephanie, yes those contracts are important, HOWEVER, THERE IS NOTHING and I mean NOTHING that is more important to me than you are. Do you understand?"

I looked at him sad and I wasn't acting this time. He was mad but not at me, just mad. He put me down and sat on the couch with me on his lap then wrapped his arms around me.

"Babe, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell or scare you."

"Carlos, I'm sorry, we should have told you, but it wouldn't have helped the situation so I thought why upset you and ruin your meetings."

I rested my head on him as he tightened his embrace. He kissed me and carried me off to our bedroom I was in for a glorious night of sweet, adoring lovemaking tonight was going to be all about me.

When this type of thing happens and he's afraid, his lovemaking shows his fear, love and tenderness among other things.

….

_**A/N:**_

Stephanie is being a little devious; she must want this road trip pretty badly.

Sorry about chapter 2, something was messed up when I posted it.

Thank you all for your comments and positive reviews. Please know that this is collaboration between Melanie Campbell and I, this is not all mine. We each take a chapter. Melanie is a wonderful writer and is creative. I am the one who has devious ideas….

Thank you all again, Melanie and I really appreciate your nice comments.


	4. Chapter 4 Putting the Pieces Together

_**Chapter 4**_

_**Previously...**_

When this type of thing happens and he's afraid, his lovemaking shows his fear, love and tenderness among other things.

_**XXX**_

To say I sat quietly would not be totally accurate. I wasn't talking, but that's because I was chewing on the end of my pen. I tapped the fingers of my right hand on the conference table, and the drumming sounded like a stampede of horses. I bounced one of my legs up and down which was making my chair squeak.

"Babe." Ranger got my attention from across the room. He was standing by the open door talking to Tank, while the other members of the team slowly filed in to the conference room.

My worried face quickly vanished, and I slapped on a smile. My version of the blank face I learned from the best. "Carlos?"

"Relax." He responded.

I waved his concern away, and went back to my bouncing and tapping. Before I could get too lost in thought, I was startled when two big hands grabbed my shoulders.

"Ah!" I let out a small yelp.

"Just trying to help you relax, beautiful," Les whispered in my ear and began kneading the muscles of my neck and shoulders.

"Hm... that feels good, Les." I moaned softly.

"Santos." Ranger growled from across the room.

Les' hands quickly vanished and he plopped down in the chair next to me, I sighed.

Les was a great partner and a friend. The guys looked after me all the time, but more so when Ranger was gone. Les...well, it was as if he made it his mission. Maybe, it was because we were family now.

Cousins Cousins-in-law once removed. What does that even mean?

I leaned in close, so only he could hear, and took his hand.

"I know, Les." I squeezed his hand. "Thank you. It did help a little."

"What's got you nervous?" His voice filled with concern.

I made serious Les come out. Eek!

"I..I told Carlos everything that happened while he was gone." I mumbled.

Les furrowed his brow. "Ah. I bet that went over real well."

I shook my head. "He was furious." I whispered.

He nodded his head in agreement, and I exhaled loudly. "I'm sure he is not mad at you, Beautiful." He tried to comfort me.

"That's what he said. Les, I...I just don't want to screw up. We are so new at this marriage thing. I don't want to make him mad, and he...he..."

I could not say the words that had filled my mind with worry all morning. He was so angry last night, and he had every right to be. I knew it was out of worry and love. I could feel it in the way he touched me, in his kisses.

I didn't want to blow this. This was our Someday Finally! I just wasn't completely sure how to act now. The old me would handle the threats on her own the best she could till... till Batman stepped in to rescue me. How was the married me supposed to handle this? Hell, if I told Carlos every little threat... I looked down at my hand and noticed I was drumming my fingers again.

Ewe... the finger in the box a wave of nausea hit me, and I felt my face begin to break out in a sweat. I was kidding myself. This wasn't some little threat. Denial my old friend he was right. This was serious.

"Stop right there." I looked up to see Tank 's face close to mine. "He's not going anywhere. He loves you. Trust me."

I nodded. He must have overheard our conversation. I hope Carlos didn't. I looked around and noticed the chairs were just about full. Tank and Les flanked me. Hal and Cal were deep in conversation across the table. Woody strolled up and slapped Les on the back before sitting down next to him. Carlos had just shut the door behind Hector, and I could make out they were muttering something in Spanish to each other.

As if he felt my gaze, Carlos looked up and met my eyes. He nodded to Hector, then made his way to me. He didn't say anything. He just tilted his head in the direction away from the table, and I knew what he meant. I got up and followed him to the wall furthest from where I was sitting.

Before I could throw on the fake smile or say anything to reassure him I was fine, he tucked a curl behind my ear. He then ran the back of his fingers of one hand up and down my cheek. I melted into his touch. When his thumb ran across my lips, I exhaled. He leaned in close to me, and whispered in my ear.

"Relaxed?"

"Hm... Better. Maybe I need a kiss." I smirked.

"My kisses don't relax you." He smiled.

"Couldn't hurt" I joked.

He lips met mine and his arms wrapped around my back. He deepened the kiss, and pulled me tighter. I felt my body arch into his, then I heard Les' cat calls about getting a room. Carlos broke the kiss, and I tried to control my breathing.

"Better?" He whispered.

I could only nod.

"We are going to handle this situation together, Babe." He looked me in the eye. "Together always."

Did he over hear me before?

Before I could get anxious again, he reached down and took my left hand. He brought it to his lips and instead of kissing it he kissed my wedding ring.

"Together, always" he whispered.

_**xxxxx**_

_**A/N: A collaboration story, Melanie Campbell and Ojjacob. This is fun writing a story this way, it's a challenge as we have to pick up where the other left off. Thinking on the spot so to speak.**_

_**Thank you all so much for your comments and following our story. We greatly appreciate it.**_

_**MC / OJ**_


	5. Together Always

**In Love and Married**

**Chapter 5**

**Together Always**

**Previously**

_Before I could get anxious again, he reached down and took my left hand. He brought it to his lips and instead of kissing it he kissed my wedding ring._

"_Together, always" He whispered._

We sat down and Ranger began the meeting.

"OK we have a threat it's not about wanting to get to me thru Steph, they want her. The severed finger, the note, shattering of the new sign at the bonds office and the writing of the low bonds it's all related.

Stephanie thinks it's someone within Harry the Hammers circle because things started immediately after we signed the papers and I left for DC. They waited for me to leave."

Ranger turned looking at me.

"Steph what are your thoughts."

"Well I've eliminated Vinnie and Harry plus his deep inner circle."

"Why did you eliminate them?"

"Vinnie is family, Harry is Lucille's dad, Lucille likes me too much for Harry to want to hurt me, plus Harry approached us so why sell it to us and then kill me off, he could have sold it quietly to some random person and not come to us in the first place. His inner circle would never go against Harry or Lucille."

Everyone was looking at me and the tapping of my leg started again. Ranger put his hand on my knee to get me to stop, I was getting annoyed at myself I can imagine how everyone in the room was feeling.

"I feel like it has something to do with the bonds themselves, I think the low bonds were all a trial and the cases were dropped. I just can't put my finger on it."

Everyone laughed, I wasn't trying to be funny, way to bring that up, and I swear sometimes I don't know where my head is at ugghhh.

"STEPHANIE, are you going to include us in on this conversation or is it all to yourself?" Ranger barked.

Crap, I sat staring into space.

"How?"

"Your filter is out of kilter." Lester yelled.

Everyone turned and looked at Lester, Tank smacked him upside the head, Ranger told him it would be the mats if he made any more stupid ass comments like that.

"Santos, que puede ser un culo como a veces pero hoy eres un tonto idiota. (Santos, you can be such an ass sometimes but today you are a dumb fucking idiot.)" Hector barked.

"The circle I'm thinking about is one that isn't respected much by those who are in tight with Harry; mainly they do the grunt work and have no real idea that I can't be touched."

I hesitated for a minute; Ranger looked at me and held my hand encouraging me to continue.

"Harry wanted out of the bonds business because he said he felt like it was just breaking even or sometimes losing money but no one could really say for sure. Harry has never been good with the books so he depends on others."

"The petty arrests had to have been planned then cases dropped."

"Hey Steph what if we talk to everyone involved in those crimes and the victims who dropped the cases." Woody asked.

"I thought about that, but it would be a waste of time, they all know each other, I'm sure of it and we would get the run around."

"Bomber, do we know who makes up the low inner circle?" Tank asked.

"Yes, Rubino Valente, Big Bubba Carmichael, Lenny the goat Russo and Anthony legs Muscovy. They are tight always have been. I think they have been skimming money off the top, Carmichael was always a wiz at math in school, and he is Harrys' accounting guy."

I was being stared at again, not in a negative way; they were staring because they were impressed at my answers. Well I'd like to think that was the case any way.

"So how do the low bonds fit in?" Hal asked.

This was what was driving me crazy, I could not quite figure it out, and it was eating away at me.

"They fit in 1 of 2 ways. 1) They planned everything to get me out in the open or 2) they wanted to try it out as a practice run, and then commit bigger crimes creating higher valued bonds, leaving the country we would be out the money and forced to shut down. My guess is option number 2."

Ranger held my hand again looked at me with a smile that totally said he was proud of me.

"Babe, that is very good thinking, those ideas are great."

"Thanks Ranger, except I can't quite figure out how they are skimming money accounting is not my background."

'How about we talk to Harry ask to see his books and get a forensic accountant to look at them?"

"Where are we going to find a forensic accountant?" Manny asked.

"I went to school with the smartest mathematician in all of the East Coast, his name is Belisimo Masterontoni, and he goes by Belis. He's not officially a forensic accountant but he can knock their socks off."

"Where can we find this guy?" Manny asked.

"He lives near Morelli."

"Lester and I can go try and talk to Belis tomorrow, see if he is willing to help us out."

"Very good Stephanie, keep his information handy so you can call him." Tank said.

"OK I will call Lucille tomorrow to see if I can talk to Harry, give him an idea of what's going on, tomorrow I can stop by and talk to Belis."

"We are not going to wait until tomorrow, I want this done now." Ranger said loudly.

"Stephanie, your team is made up of Zip, Zero, and Ramon. Zip you take lead on this team. You 3 are to be with Stephanie at all times, even if she is with Santos or me, no matter who is with her you shadow at all times."

He looked at me; I looked away and sat staring at the table.

"Men, I don't have to tell you how important this is to me. Understand!"

"YES SIR! Understood" Replied my team of three.

I slammed my hands on the table and was starting to boil up inside. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at me in shock.

"Do I have a say in this?"

"NO!" Ranger and Tank both barked.

"Fine" I got up and walked out of the room.

Ranger came storming out after me, took my arm, and dragged me to his office, he slammed the door shut and pushed me on to the couch.

"Stephanie, we've gone over this and you agreed to a team, remember?"

"Yes I remember, but certainly didn't think I'd have 4 people with me at all times."

"Well what did you think I meant when I said team?"

He was really starting to piss me off with his tone, almost condescending and I didn't like it at all. I sat quietly and he stood there looking at me waiting for my next move.

"Agreeing to a team is easy, living it is harder. I'm sorry Ranger all this just makes me nuts."

"I know Babe, but I'm not taking any chances. It's taken us too long to get where we are today and I'm not letting these idiots cut our time short."

I sat playing with my engagement and wedding rings thinking back to the happiest day of my life when I became Stephanie Manoso.

"Together Always, those words are what we closed our vows with, I meant it when I said them, didn't you?"

I lunged into his arms wrapping my arms around him and I started crying.

"I meant it with all my heart and I'm sorry I make you so insane."

"Babe, I'm deeply in love with you. I am not letting anything happen to you. Besides, without your insanity my life would be dull. I can see why Morelli ordered Maalox by the case."

I smacked him in the chest for making that comment about Morelli and Maalox. We kissed and Tank knocked on the door, Ranger opened it while I was still wrapped up in his arms.

"Good to see you two have this all worked out. Steph, your team awaits you."

We walked out and Ranger told me to get started with Belis first then go on to Harry from there.

"Hey beautiful, you need me?"

"Santos puede ser tan despistada que eres su pareja tonto el culo" (Santos you can be so clueless you're her partner dumb ass.)

Lester Zip and I got in the truck while Zero and Ramon were tailing us. We headed over to talk to Belis. Zip sent a text to Zero and Ramon giving them instructions once we reached our destination and I called Lucille.

"Hi Lucille, how are you?"

"Stephanie honey, how are you?"

"Good, I need some help."

"Sweetie is everything OK?" Lucille replied in a panic.

How such a nice woman could ever hook up with the likes of Vinnie the weasel is beyond me, she can do so much better.

"Oh yes, I just need help with seeing your dad, can you arrange that for me?"

"Of course, when and what time?"

"Today in about a couple of hours if that works for him."

"Honey go straight to the house. I'll tell him to expect you."

"Lucille, I have a team plus bringing an extra person, there will be two vehicles, 4 in one, and 2 in tail car. Standard RangeMan black."

"Not a problem sweetheart, I'll let them know. Listen, I haven't seen you since your lovely wedding so let's get together for lunch or dinner just the two of us OK?"

"I promise, Lucille."

I hung up with her, Lester looked at me, and Zip turned around looking with a smile on his face.

"Bombshell, damn but you're good."

"Beautiful, you are 100% genuine; people love you and will do anything for you."

We arrived at Belisimos' house, Lester and I got out, Zip followed us to the house, Zero and Ramon stood outside their car on alert. I knocked on the door and Belisimo answered.

"Yeah, can I help you, hey Plum how the hell are you, are you lost or something?"

"Belis, I'm good, how about you? Actually I came to see you, can we come in and talk to you?"

"Yeah, come on in. You guys want something to drink?"

"No we're good Belis, thank you though."

He went to get himself a drink and his house was much like Morellis' house and left to him by a relative. However, he really has done a great job on it, with decorating it and colors.

Morelli had slowly been working on his, I think that money was more of a factor for Morelli than Belis, but then these are two very different men, very very different.

"So Plum, how are you, wait you're not Plum anymore."

"No, Belis, I got married 6 months ago, I'm Stephanie Manoso now."

"Yeah, you married that guy that no one knows anything about."

I laughed as he said that because it's so true, everyone tries to figure him out.

"So what can I do for you Plum? I always liked calling you Plum, like a juicy fruit."

Next thing I hear is Zip grunting and clearing his throat at Belis when he made that statement, Lester was not a happy camper either.

"Sir, please give Mrs. Manoso respect, you're not in high school any longer." Lester said roughly but politely.

"Sorry Stephanie. So what is it that I can do for you?"

"Belis, we have a situation that requires a forensic accountant; you're the closest and a hell of a lot better than anyone we would be able to find."

"Someone skimming?"

"Yes, but have no idea how."

"Steph, do you have the documents with you?"

"No, we have a meeting set up in a couple of hours to see the books, that's where I need your help."

"OK explain to me what you think is going on."

I told Belis all about the threat, the purchase of the bonds office, the low bonds, the arrests, and then dropping charges. He looked at me with a curious look.

"How are you involved in this, wait don't answer, you are the bombshell bounty hunter, I should know better than to ask that question."

He smiled at me, and then looked at Lester and Zip as if asking if it was OK that he smiled at me.

"Stephanie, why do you think that the skimming has something to do with the bonds?"

"I think that when Harry owned the bonds company, the money that he was getting back didn't reflect the true amount. With the amount of bonds that the office was writing and the skips we were bringing in, the business should not have been operating at a loss or break-even."

"Our apprehension rate is at 100% with that rate, the business should have been operating at a large profit even after paying our capture fee, but I can't figure out how they were doing it and why suddenly there were such low bonds."

We sat for a few minutes, both Belis and I in deep thought and he got up went to the kitchen, got a beer and bringing us bottled water and sat back down.

"You think that the low bonds were a practice run don't you?"

"Yes, I think they set up these phony crimes the victims and criminals were all known to each other and then the charges were dropped so no one had to do time. We had already decided not to go after the low bonds, it wasn't worth our time or resources."

"You Stephanie Plum, sorry Manoso have always been a girl who thinks outside the box and that's what makes you a smart cookie."

Lester smiled and Zip had a don't you know it look on his face. It felt good for someone around the illustrious "burg" to compliment me like that.

"Without seeing the books, I can't be 100% but I agree, I think that the low bonds were a test run, it was a total set up, not to put you out of business but to figure out ways to skim but now that you are the owners it would be harder for them to skim. They would have to come up with some creative ways."

"OK so how about we go and visit these books and I can get a better idea of what's happening."

We all got up, Zip talked to Zero and Ramon on the earpiece telling them we were heading out with an extra body, we piled into the truck, Belis, and I sat in the back.

"So what happened between you and Morelli? Everyone around town thought for sure you would be a Morelli, at home making babies like all the other Morelli women. I on the other hand knew you would never settle for that lifestyle. You always have been a free spirit."

I started laughing at the thought of me sitting at home barefoot and pregnant, exactly like the other Morelli women.

"Belis, you got that right, I'm too stubborn to be controlled by Morelli or anyone else, there's being controlled and then there's compromising to that control, but it has to be by both that are involved in the relationship."

He looked at me understanding what I was getting at.

"Ranger controls me in way that is not degrading or chauvinistic just as I control him in the same way. We are a team; we work together no matter what the situation is. For example, having body guards or shadows, Zip and Lester will tell you, I hate with a passion that I have to have someone with me at all times. That was a decision Ranger made, I had no choice in the matter.

Belis started laughing at me when I said that, he was cute when he smiled you could see past that rough exterior he always put on.

"I was not happy at all up until it was time for us to leave the building. I had to compromise now because it's not just me anymore I have a husband to think about, who knows down the road there may be kids to consider in the scheme of things."

"I also have Lester to think about, he is my partner we are a team, he has my back and I have to have his back, there is no getting around that."

Belis was shaking his head in agreement, he understood.

"So am I happy that I had no say in the matter of shadows, no. Am I happy that Ranger controlled the issue, oh hell no. However, I compromised because there are other people to think about and consider. It's not just Stephanie anymore."

We arrived at Harry's house and Lester announced us at the gate, we were buzzed in and drove the length of the half mile drive way. Met up with some of the guards and we were greeted.

Mikey came to my door and held his hand out to assist me out of the car. I've always liked Mikey; he is Harrys' nephew, a very nice person well mannered and has always been very sweet to me. We went to school together, he was my date for our Junior Prom, we tried dating after that, but it didn't work.

"Mrs. Manoso, let me help you. How are you?"

"Thank you Mikey, I am doing well."

Mikey walked ahead of us, I told him that Zero and Ramon were going to wait outside, Zip and Lester were coming in. We quickly were escorted to Harry's office he was sitting at his desk, he got up and walked over to me.

"Stephanie, welcome, welcome, married life agrees with you my dear you look wonderful. Mikey, ask Stella to bring out refreshments."

"Yes sir."

"Thank you Harry for seeing us on such short notice let me introduce you to everyone this is Belisimo Masterontoni, he is a math genius I've known him since high school, Lester and Zip."

"So Stephanie, what can I do for you?"

"Well Harry, I have another threat and it all started as soon as we signed off on the paperwork buying the bonds office. Then immediately after that Ranger went to DC weird things happened."

I explained everything that took place and his interest was quickly growing. Especially when he heard, I narrowed it down to his four outer circle of guys. Telling Harry I brought Belis with us so he can look over the paperwork from when he still owned the bonds office, he will be able to figure out how they are skimming.

Harry immediately started sending out orders and everyone began to scurry to get things done. Mikey and a few other guys walked back into the room with Valente, Carmichael, Russo, and Muscovy, they took one look at me and froze. Zip and Lester went into high alert asking to have Zero and Ramon join us. Harry agreed and said to have them come in. This was all getting very strange.

Harry was explaining to the four goons what he'd been told and they of course denied everything and started spouting off all sorts of crap.

"Boss, she's a loser, how the hell could she come up with this idea?" Lenny the goat said.

"Boss, you're going to take the side of this bimbo, this bitch over us who have worked for you." Moscovy said.

Valente was surprisingly quiet; he did not say a word, which told me I was 100% correct. The others were protesting way too much.

"Boss man, listen, she is nothing but a piece of ass, how can you believe anything she has to say, she's good for one thing, no one can take her seriously." Big Bubba spouted.

My four guys all stood up and each took one and beat the shit out of them while Harry's men watched. I think Mikey might have thrown in a punch or two.

I stood up and walked over to Bubba, looked him straight in the eye.

"Bubba, you think all I'm good for is a piece of ass? Well let me introduce you to something that will make you re-think that comment."

Introducing him to the plum knee, shoving his balls so high up his pathetic body he was crying, not only did I knee him proudly, he was given a look of death, well as best as I could come up with. then used my sparing lessons, stood on my left leg and took my right leg raised it up to his face I was wearing my uniform which meant work boots. Kicked him in the face, I heard cracking so maybe I bashed his face in.

The other three were looking at me as if they were about to shit in their pants. I looked at all of them and asked if they would like to meet my knee. Harry stood up walked to the four goons looking them dead in the eye.

"You idiots need to know that my daughter adores Stephanie, so she is never ever to be spoken to like that and disrespected in the way you just did. You have all fucked up big time and you picked the wrong person to fuck with."

They were all standing there scared to death.

"Do you know who this little lady is married to?"

No one answered; they just stared at me, then Harry repeated that a few times.

"You are well aware of who Ranger is correct? Well let me introduce you to Rangers wife."

Valente stood mouth wide open and said holly fuck, kicked Moscovy and said you fucking moron, we're as good as dead if he gets his hands on us. Harry told his guys to take the four goons to the shed for now. They did and we went back to our chairs.

Belis finally finished he found $1.1 million and explained how they were doing it. Apparently, when the bond money would come in, they were changing the amount showing that RangeMan was being paid more than we actually were. The difference between those two numbers was the amount they were stealing.

Harry was thrilled that Belis found the money, but realized he no longer owned the bonds company.

"Harry, in light of what has happened; would you want to buy the bond company back?"

"Well it all depends on all of you."

"OK, I will talk to Ranger and the core team and see what they say. Now about the goons, I know that the guys back at RangeMan want a piece of them, can we take them back with us. We will return them to you to finish up and you can do what you want."

"Sounds like a plan my dear, I owe you big time Stephanie for bringing this to my attention and exposing a broken trust within my team."

Harry told Mikey to round up the goons and they were taking them for a ride to RangeMan for some further interrogation and would need to be collected after they were finished. We all got in our cars and Lester was laughing hysterically.

Lester called Ranger.

"Yo boss, we're done here case closed."

"What are you talking about Santos, what happened, is Stephanie OK?"

"Boss, she is more than OK, she is a beautiful fucking kick ass bombshell that's what she is."

"We are heading back to Haywood, we have 2 tails with us four goons and Belis, and we will explain everything."

"Babe, are you OK, nothing happened?"

"Honey I'm fine, no worries I promise."

"See you soon Babe."

Lester was laughing the entire drive back Belis was right behind Lester. He kept saying I can't believe I witnessed Stephanie Plum being a kick ass bombshell bounty hunter.

"Damn you're hot Stephanie. Zip turned and glared at him."

We all arrived at Haywood and we had a slew of men in black waiting for us. My handsome husband came running over to our car, opened the door, and pulled me out of the car lifting me up kissing me. Hector, Vince, Zero, Zip, Woody and Ram took the goons out of the trucks and headed straight down to the basement where the interrogation and holding rooms are. Mikey told Lester to let him know when the goons were ready for pick up.

Ranger was holding my hand, I introduced him to Belis, and we all walked inside into the conference room. Lester explained everything that took place, Belis told everyone about how the goons were skimming money and the amount. After 2 hours of explanations and re-telling of the excitement, we were finished.

Ranger asked Hal and Manny to take Belis home shook hands with Belis as Ranger handed him an envelope.

I told Ranger and Tank about Harry maybe wanting the bonds office back and they looked at each other and said given the fact what we found out, they didn't have a problem with it. So I called Harry and told him that we would be willing to sell the bonds business back to him for the same price we paid for it.

Harry was happy about that, it's not that he knows anything about the bonds business but that he wants Lucille to have a steady income. The only stipulation to the sale is that Vinnie is to think that Ranger, Tank, and I still own the business. Harry said Vinnie is scared to death of Ranger. I just laughed at that.

The goons were left downstairs to sit in their own crap that no doubt by now filled their pants. Everyone came upstairs. Lester demonstrated to everyone what I did to Bubba and they all winced at the thought of it.

Ranger kissed me on the head and said I'm proud of you babe. Those five simple words made my day.

I don't know nor do I care what happened to the goons but they were going to be used as human punching bags and be given back to Harry for further handling.

Overall, it was a great day, now I needed to spring the news on Ranger about the road trip; oh, this ought to be fun. NOT! But he agreed.

A/N: This is a long chapter, hope you enjoy it, now the fun will begin.

This is collaboration between Melanie Campbell and me. We are equally contributing.

Thank you for reading and following. We both have tight schedules so please bare with us, we will try to keep on schedule with posting our chapters.


	6. Hi Ho Hi Ho

"In Love and Married"

Chapter 6

Hi Ho, Hi Ho,

Previously...

Overall, it was a great day, now I needed to spring the news on Ranger about the road trip; oh, this ought to be fun. NOT! However, he agreed.

...

"Mm... That feels good." I moaned and wiggled closer to my husband, as he kissed the back of my neck. His hand ran up and down my curves, as his kisses became hungrier. When another moan escaped my lips, I was suddenly flipped on my back. He was on me before I could blink. I loved that we had this effect on each other still, and hoped we always would.

I felt his knee push my legs apart, and his hand wander lower. In another moment, I would be in Heaven.

That's when his phone rang. I heard him grumble Spanish curse words before he sat up to answer it.

"What?" He barked.

I sighed and lay there listening to him growl orders out to whoever was on the phone.

_Well, the mood is gone now. Man, he is really chewing that guy out. He's going to be grumpy all day now. Unless..._

Carlos hung up and started grumbling under his breath. He started to get out of bed, but I grabbed his wrist. I sat up behind him. Our naked bodies pushed close together. I ran my hands up and down his chest, and whispered in his ear.

"Stay."

…...

An hour later, my mission was complete. Carlos was in a much better mood. We lay tangled together in the afterglow, and I thought how I couldn't imagine being happier.

_Well, maybe if we were away from the works calls, and...Work. Hm... That's it!_

_A getaway he did promise, and what better time to bring it up than when he is happy._

"Mm... That was incredible." I snuggled closer to him.

"You are incredible, Babe."

I started to draw lazy circles on his chest with my finger. "You're right." I giggled, and he gave me a light swat on my ass. "You know," I started. "If we were away from any distractions, I could be even more incredible."

"Distractions? You didn't seem distracted." He began kissing my neck again, and I moaned.

"Um... I mean... Oh, that feels..."

_Focus, Stephanie!_

"Carlos." I put my hand on his chest to stop him, and he raised an eyebrow in question. "Before you distract me, I have a request."

"I like the sound of that." He pulled me close and his kisses started trailing lower.

"So do I." I began to squirm beneath him.

_I'll just bring it up later._

I arched my head back and moaned. I opened my eyes, and saw day light shining through the curtains.

_It's late. He should have been up and in the office by now._

_I had better talk to him before he is called away._

_Oh, that feels good!_

"Carlos?"

He hummed a response against my skin as he laid kisses down my stomach.

"Let's get out of here."

That stopped him. He looked up at me questioningly. "Now?"

"Well, not now. After?" I waggled my eyebrows at him.

He smirked and sat up. "OK. What are you scheming at?"

I pointed to myself in a "who me?" gesture, and he nodded in return.

"Not that I am scheming at anything, but I do want something. Well, want to talk to you about something. Nothing really I mean..."

"Babe."

I took a deep breathe, and just said it as fast as I could. "I want a getaway. You did promise. I want you, alone from all the distractions. Just you and me. I think it would be fun, and you did promise."

"So you mentioned. I'm sure you have something in particular in mind."

"Well, off the top of my head..." I tried for my most innocent look. "I was thinking... a road trip."

He didn't say anything, so I continued. "Um... yeah. I think it would be fun. You, me, and the open road it would be an adventure." I smiled up at him.

"Haven't you had enough adventure lately?"

"I don't want psycho adventure! I want the fun kind."

"Are you bored already, Mrs. Manoso?

"No!" I pulled him down for a kiss. "Never" I snuggled close to him. "I just think it would be nice to have you all to myself, and have some fun."

I heard him sigh before he answered. "Okay."

"Okay?" I jumped up and straddled him. He nodded, and I kissed him with a smile on my face. "When can we leave? Tomorrow? I have to go shopping and pack. I need to find a hamster sitter. Maybe we should bring Rex. He never gets to go anywhere. He might like it."

I heard him chuckle, and I stopped my rambling. I looked at him with my hands on my hips. "What's so funny?"

"You."

I swatted his chest, and he feigned hurt.

"Babe, we can't go tomorrow. I have to arrange things here first so I can be..."

"In the wind?" I teased.

"So to speak, and we are not bringing Rex. Oh no, do not give me that pouty face. You are the one that said you wanted it to be just the two of us."

"But Carlos... He'll miss me. I've heard that pets get depressed if they're away from their mommy for too long."

"How long is the road trip going to be anyway? I was thinking we could drive a couple of hours to the coast, and stay for the weekend."

"Carlos that is not a road trip, it does sound nice though. We will save that for another time."

"Another time" He repeated. "So, how long are we talking here?"

"Can time really be measured?"

"Babe."

"Fine a couple of weeks, maybe three."

"Three weeks, three weeks in the car...driving who knows where... with you and the hamster?"

"Well, you don't have to say it like that." I huffed.

"Babe, I can't do three weeks and stay sane." He mumbled under his breathe.

"I heard that." I crossed my arms giving him my best Burg look. He held up his hands in surrender, and smirked. "Two weeks. That is my final offer." I heard him sigh. That means I won.

_Go me!_

"Good. We won't be driving aimlessly, although, that does sound like fun."

"Babe."

"Fine, I have a destination in mind."

"Care to share this information?"

"Maybe" I smirked. He raised an eyebrow, and I caved. "Fine. If you don't want to be surprised, then I will tell you." I saw him look up at the ceiling, and I could almost hear his inner thoughts. I am sure they were along the lines of not strangling me. I decided to have mercy on him, and just tell him. "Disney World."

I wasn't sure if he heard me, because he just stared at me.

"Disney World" I repeated. "It's in Florida."

He still just stared silently.

"You know Mickey Mouse, Peter Pan, and rides?"

Still nothing.

"How have you never heard of it? Wow. There is a place where these people run around in mouse costumes. Not just mice, that sounds freaky. Oh, and there are rides! They have super cool roller coasters. Well, so I've been told. I have never been. I have always wanted to since I was a kid. Of course, Dad said no. Could you imagine my dad at Disney World? Ha! They say it is the happiest place on Earth, but I bet my mom would change that."

I laughed to myself sitting on top of my husband, my very quiet husband.

"I still can't believe you have never heard of ..."

"Stephanie."

Eek!

This doesn't sound good.

"Carlos." I answered with a smile.

"You can't really expect me to go to... to..."

"Disney World, yes, you'll love it! We can see Mickey. Oh, he's the main guy, mouse, whatever. Don't worry. I'll teach you."

"I know about the mouse. What I don't know is why you would think that I would ever want to step foot near that place."

I felt my shoulders slump, but I would not be defeated. "You promised."

"Oh no you don't! I would never...never promise that!" He almost spat when he said it.

"Why Carlos Manso! Are you too good to go to Disney World? Afraid they will take away your bad ass card, Batman?"

"Babe."

_Oops!_

_Too far._

I leaned over and kissed his lips. He did not kiss back. I kissed his neck, and worked my way up to his ear.

"Carlos, I have always wanted to go." I began nibbling on his earlobe. "Think of how much fun we will have. Oh and the drive down there!"

I felt his body relax, and I kept kissing. Finally, I heard him sigh.

"Okay." He said flatly.

I sat up quickly. "You will not regret this!"

"I do already."

"We are going to have so much fun! I cannot wait! I need to go shopping! I wonder how long it will take to drive there. Doesn't matter. That's half the fun. Right? Oh, I wonder if we will find anything super cool on the way."

"Super cool?"

"You know! Like the world's largest ball of yarn or something fun like that." I clapped my hands in excitement.

He shook his head, and mumbled something in Spanish.

"Maybe I should research and map out the stops. This way we won't miss a thing!"

I couldn't tell if it was frustration in his eyes or fear. Then, his eyes widened and he smiled.

_He is going to try to get out of it._

_That sneaky..._

"I think you would have more fun if you went with Lula. I bet she has never been. The two of you will have a great time. Send me pictures along the way."

I shook my head and smiled back at him. "Nope, I want you."

Fear, oh yeah. It was definitely fear in his eyes. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Santos! He would love it! Yes, I think you should go with him." He smiled, confident with his suggestion. He even tried to sell me on a security level telling me that Les would be necessary for my protection.

_Okay._

_Two can play this game._

"You're right." I saw his smile. He thinks he has won. "Les will love it, and we should bring someone to watch our backs. As you like to always remind me." I smiled back at him, and then kissed him softly. "You didn't think that through. Do you really want me alone with Lester?"

_Check mate!_

"So, it's settled. You are going. I wonder which car we should take. It needs to be big enough."

"For what? We are not living out of it. Are we?" He sounded scared when he asked that last part.

"No silly. Big enough so we are all comfortable."

"All? I thought you wanted to get me alone?"

"I did, but you are right. We should bring someone, or maybe two. You know how trouble seems to find us."

"You."

"Hm... What?" I asked.

"You, trouble seems to find you."

"Ha ha. Now, let me think, yeah definitely Les. You are right. He will love it! Who else? Well, I guess I will leave the other guy up to you."

"Thanks."

"Oh! I just had a great idea!" I screeched.

"You changed your mind, and we are going to the coast for the weekend?"

I swatted him. "Smart ass, no. Julie!"

"Julie?"

"She is right there! We have to bring her. She will love it!"

"Miami is not right next to Orlando."

"Same state same thing. She is going."

"Of course dear."

I gave him the eye again.

"So," he began. "It's you, me, Julie, Santos, another member of the team of my choosing, all piled in a car together driving across the country, then to the craziest place on Earth?"

"Happiest dear, happiest places on Earth, and you forgot Rex."


	7. Stephanie, Merry Men and Craziness

_**In Love and Married**_

_**7**_

_**Stephanie, Merry Men, and Craziness**_

_**Previously **_

"Julie?"

"She is right there! We have to bring her. She will love it!

Miami is not right next to Orlando."

"Same state same thing. She is going."

"Of course dear" I gave him the eye again.

"So, he began. It's you, me, Julie, Santos, another member of the team of my choosing, all piled in a car together driving across the country, then to the craziest place on Earth?"

"Happiest dear, happiest place on Earth, and you forgot Rex."

**XXXXX**

_**Ranger POV**_

When Stephanie calls me a dumb ass, I just laugh it off, today reality sunk in because I AM A DUMB ASS. Going back in my mind trying to figure out exactly what we were doing when she managed to get me to agree to a road trip. A FUCKING ROAD TRIP with Stephanie, a couple of my men plus her silly rat to Disney World the land of crazy.

Was it during a night of hot passionate sex, was it after that last distraction where she was wearing that barely there outfit or was it the night she came out of the bedroom dressed in what she called a lounge dress held together by thread. Oh no, it wasn't any of those. No this dumb ass was railroaded into a road trip because I told her she had to have a team shadowing her at all times during that last threat.

Yep, me bad-ass Ranger, I can be tortured by the best of them and won't give in, one pout from Stephanie and her blue eyes staring into mine I cave and agree to a road trip to Disney. How in the hell am I going to get out of it? A 14+ hour trip that she will turn into days because she wants to stop at every state and find crazy. Shit all she needs to do is sit in a parking lot, crazy finds her we don't need a road trip for that.

I need to talk to Tank, maybe he can come up with an idea to get me out of this nightmare. "Yo Tank, come to my office, now."

"What's got you all pissed off boss?"

"I got myself railroaded into a road trip to of all places Disney World."

"Ahh, that's not so bad. Disney is a blast, why are you so bent out of shape over it?"

"The trip is with Steph, some of the guys and her precious rat, oh and she wants to stop at every state to see something crazy, then we pass Orlando drive to Miami pick up Julie and drive back to Orlando. We're talking 20 hours of driving if we include Miami that she will probably turn into 3 days."

"Ranger calm down, I see where you're coming from. Who are the guys you're taking with you?"

"So far, Santos, I told her to go with Lula but she insists on being with me, first she wanted to be alone with me then it turned into Ringling brothers."

"Okay, let's think this through calmly. Santos and bomber together is trouble right there, we need to add a couple of stable guys in the mix. Bobby, he has to go because you know there will be medical attention needed, Hector is stable, he always keeps Santos in line. Hal would be a good choice too, oh no wait, we know she can talk him out of his stun gun. What about Woody and Ram?"

"Hector has to stay here, he's too good at his job, and there isn't anyone who is close to learning all his tricks, so he's out. Can you spare Woody and Ram?"

"Yeah, the new guys we hired are very skilled, so add Manny to the list, between you and the rest, Steph and Santos can't get into any shit."

"Tank, did you not hear what I said, I don't want to go, I don't even want to be flying over their vehicle in a chopper because God only knows what they'll get into."

"I got it, you have to go to Miami, there are problems with the office and you need to be there for 1 week, you'll just have to break down and meet them at Disney, you pick up Julie. Play at Disney, drive Julie back to Miami and you fly home.

"Tank, that's fucking brilliant. OK in a couple of hours, I will have her in my office and you come in and make up some crap about Miami. Thanks man, I owe you big time."

_**Tank POV**_

Fucking hilarious bad-ass Ranger is so whipped, and in Love he agreed to a road trip to hell, it must have been one hell of a night for him to agree. Ha, ha, ha.

**XXXXX**

Well everything went smoothly with Ranger, it's going to be a blast, and I have everything mapped out and all our stops bookmarked on my iPad.

In PA, Eastern State Penitentiary, MD, shriveled human arm museum, that sounds gross but the guys will like it. DE Miles the Monster at the Speedway. VA Dinosaur Land, which should be fun, NC Mt. Airy where the Andy Griffith show came from, Mayberry and there is a little town called Morrisville, I want to check out since we have a Morrisville just a few miles away, SC, South of the Border yippee, GA Gone with the wind museum and Road to Tara.

After that is FL we pass through Jacksonville and I do want to see the Treaty Tree, it's beautiful, then we go to Miami pick up Julie and hello Happiest Place on Earth…well 2nd happiest place, the first happiest place on earth is our bedroom, nothing can top that.

Speaking of my happy place, he's calling me.

"Hi sexy man, what's up?"

"Babe, can you come to my office, bring whatever you have put together for the trip."

"Be right there."

I made my way to his office, knocked on the door and walked in, humm; he did not have a very happy look on his face, wonder if I bit off more than I can chew on this one. Well he did ask me to bring the plans for the trip. Maybe it's the excitement, yeah that's it.

"Hi honey, you know what I realized, Disney is not the happiest place on earth."

"Babe, you changed your mind, I promise you won't regret it, I will make sure the trip to the coast is at least 1 week."

"No Ranger, I didn't change my mind, what I was trying to say is that Disney is the 2nd happiest place on earth."

"Am I going to regret asking what the first happiest place on earth is?"

Man he's being a dumb ass, what crawled up his proverbial rear?

"You know, just forget I said anything, the attitude of yours really sucks, you don't care about the 1st 2nd or the 50th happiest place on earth."

I was fuming, I didn't want to be in that room for fear one of us would say something stupid mainly me that would turn into a huge fight. I got up and started to walk to the door, with the speed of light he was at the door picking me up. He slammed the door shut.

"Ranger, let me go I don't want to talk about the trip right now, you have ruined the mood."

He sat on the couch putting me on his lap and looked at me.

"I'm sorry Babe, I really want to hear about the happiest place on earth, come on tell me about it."

I sat quiet for a few minutes, then he started kissing me below my ear, then the back of my neck and I felt goose bumps.

"Babe, come on, really I'm sorry."

"I was thinking about how Disney World is 2nd compared to our bedroom, I think our bedroom is the happiest place on earth."

"You're right Babe; nothing can top our bedroom or even our life."

While we were kissing, there was a knock on the door, Ranger let out a growl.

"WHAT! COME IN. Tank, this better be important."

"Sorry boss, it is important, I just finished talking to Rafael in Miami, there are problems with three of our biggest accounts, and you are the only one who can fix it. You need to leave a.s.a.p. take Hal with you."

I could not believe what I was hearing; he has to go to Miami that sucks.

"Tank, can it wait a couple of days, we're driving to Orlando anyway and picking up Julie I can be there in a couple of days."

"No sir, a.s.a.p. is what Rafael said."

I got up from Rangers lap and stormed out of his office, I was pissed beyond pissed; it's not even worth going on this trip without him. I grabbed my things went to over to Lester and told him we're going shopping.

"Steph, I'm driving you are way too pissed to be behind the wheel, what the hell is going on?"

"Oh this whole trip has bottomed out, Ranger has to go to Miami, Rafael said there are problems with 3 of the major accounts and he's needed a.s.a.p."

"Bomber, I talked to Raffi half hour ago, he didn't say anything to me as a matter of fact he said everything is excellent over there."

None of this made sense at all, unless something drastic happened within that half hour.

"Lester really? Listen call Raffi and nose your way around maybe its hush hush kind of thing."

Les called Raffi; they chatted for a bit and went straight for it.

"Raffi hombre, escuchar anterior usted dijo que todo estaba bien, ¿verdad? ¿Qué pasa con los 3 grandes cuentas que está causando Ranger para salir a ustedes?

(_Raffi man, listen earlier you said everything was good, right. What's up with the three major accounts that are causing Ranger to come out to you guys?)_

"Bueno, tal vez no he entendido bien. No digas nada de esta conversación bien, no quiero que la gente piense que estoy extendiendo mierda alrededor. Gracias Raffi"

"_OKAY, maybe I misunderstood. Don't say anything about this conversation OK, I don't want people to think I am spreading shit around. Thanks Raffi._"

"Beautiful, um, I uh, crap. I don't know how to tell you this, you've been played, Raffi knows nothing about problems with any account major or not. Everything is great; the only other time that things are this good is when Ranger visits."

That sneaky shit, he played me there's nothing wrong in Miami, ugh he's played the wrong person. We shopped until we both dropped, Ranger had been trying to call me all afternoon, but I didn't answer. I finally called him back.

"Hi, I didn't hear the phone ring, I just saw you called."

"Are you finished shopping, when are you coming home?"

"Lester and I are going to grab dinner, did you eat if not come meet us, we're going to Pinos."

"OK Babe, I'll meet you guys there."

We got to Pinos, Tony took us to our usual area, he brought over pitchers of diet coke and water, I told Les I was going to zing Ranger tonight and to play along.

"OH speaking of dumb and dumber, here they come now."

I thought Les was going to choke on his drink as it sprayed out of his mouth from laughing so hard.

"Beautiful that is fucking funny."

They sat down and a few minutes later, Manny, Ram, and Woody walked in. Ranger put his arm around me and asked me if I had a good afternoon. I started rambling on and on about all the things, I bought for our trip, the research I had done on all the stops we were going to make but I put on a show worth of an award.

"Oh Ranger, wait till you see all the places, oh I forgot you can't go, pouting like a little girl."

"I'm sorry Babe."

"Hey, I have an idea, how about we all go with you and help you in Miami, get everything taken care of in a day or so then we can drive to Disney,we can drive back and still see all those things. What do you think Les?"

"Beautiful, that's a great idea."

"NO, not necessary I'm the only one who can take care of this."

"Really, Ranger I don't see why. Tell me why we can't help you?"

"Oh, ah, well it's too complicated Babe."

Ranger said hiding behind his glass of water, not looking at me.

"Why so complicated Ranger. Could it be he fact that you lied to me and had Tank come up with a bull shit scenario so you could get out of the road trip? Oh I know it's complicated because you flat out lied when you said, nothing can top our bedroom or our life."

Everyone stopped what they were doing; Ranger stopped drinking, stared at Tank, looked at me with deer in the headlights look, he stayed like that for a few minutes. I wanted to leave but I was in the middle of the booth and no one would move.

I pushed them out of the way, took the keys from Lester walked towards the door heading for my car. Ranger was right behind me, he grabbed my hand and told me to stop, I tried to run but couldn't. He carried me and pinned me against the wall we stared at each other.

"You know I could have forgotten about the Miami lie, but you really hurt me when you lied and made that statement about our bedroom and life. Why Ranger"

"Babe, it was and is the truth, yeah I admit I lied about Miami, but NOTHING and I mean NOTHING will ever top our bedroom or our life together. NOTHING that is the Gods truth. Come on, let's go back inside, and eat dinner."

He pulled me back inside the guys all stopped talking as we sat back down and Ranger mumbled under his breath.

"What is that honey, we didn't hear you?"

"I lied about Miami, there's no problem with any of the clients and yes even though I will regret it, I am going on the road trip with you guys."

"You will go along with everything I have planned?"

"Yes dear."

I smiled and gave him a big kiss.

"Who will be joining us?"

"Lester, Manny, Woody and Ram

"What about Rex?"

"NO, REX IS NOT GOING. Tank will babysit."

I decided to let him have that win, since I won everything else. Our food arrived and I started to dig into my meatball sub with a big fat smile on my face, life was good I see I'm sorry I made you feel bad sex in my immediate future.

It was the day of our trip, I had everything packed and ready to go the night before, the car was set we were taking my Acura MDX SUV that seats 7 passengers, it was the replacement to my Cayenne. Ranger said he was planning for kids. He's such a funny guy.

I was so excited there was no way I could sleep any longer, Ranger was surprised at how early it was. I started the coffee, took a shower, put on a tank top capri pants and gym shoes, I bought Ranger some shorts for him to wear I had laid out our clothes the night before.

My hair was done, make up on, I was dressed and sitting at the bar having coffee, waiting for Ranger so we could eat breakfast, he looked scrumptious in his black basketball shorts and a form fitting t-shirt.

Ella had prepared breakfast and brought it up for us; we ate, cleaned up, and headed downstairs to get the rest of the gang. I was going to be envied by all the females as well as gay men when they all see my road trip gang.

My Merry Men looked sexy in their shorts and t-shirts, but not as sexy as my man. Since the night that I let out about the Miami lie, Ranger has been making it up to me; yep the sorry I made you feel bad sex has continued several times until late last night it was fabulous.

I asked Tank to take a picture of us before we left, there will be tons of pictures taken. I wanted goofy pictures and nice ones.

"So boys, are we all ready for our adventure?"

Yes, mommy was the reply from all the guys except Ranger; I looked at him he replied with a growl saying yes dear. I took his hand and we all went to the garage. Ranger drove with me in the passenger seat. I pulled my iPad from my bag and Ranger gave me a look that was screaming, someone please shoot me now.

"What is that for?"

"It's our itinerary, all our stops, the address of the crazy places and notes see."

Showing him my little journal, I turned to face everyone and I acted as if I was a tour guide.

"OK boys, we are set to go, our first stop will be PA, Eastern State Penitentiary, this facility was built in 1829 by the Quakers, and it was a working pen until the 1970's. We will be able to take a tour of the inside and see the cells. It is where Al Capone was serving time; we will get to see his lavish cell."

I gave Ranger the address for the GPS and we were on our way, the guys were sleepy so it was quiet, Ram had already dozed off, it looked like Lester was also getting there. Woody and Manny had their headpieces in listening to music. After about 1 1/2 hours, my bladder needed a break.

"Ranger"

"What's up Babe?"

"I have to go to the bathroom."

"For the love of." ….

I have no idea what he was saying definitely not English.

We stopped at a McDonalds, the guys woke up and all grunted when they found out it was a bathroom stop, I ran inside then I thought I need to get something to eat, I called Ranger to ask if anyone wanted anything, only Lester wanted food.

I got in handed Lester his food sat down and Ranger picked up my large drink.

"Babe, you just stopped off to use the bathroom and you get a drink this size? We are not stopping every half hour got it?"

"I got it, let's go."

I finished my food and put my head piece in listening to my music, Happy by Pharrell came on, I hooked up my iPhone to the blue tooth Lester and I started singing, every time the chorus with clap along if you feel like a room without a roof, I made the guys clap, they were not happy campers. I repeated the song until Ranger turned it off.

I was dying to go to the bathroom but I didn't dare ask Ranger to stop, they would all kill me so I just held it until we arrived at the penitentiary, as soon as we stopped, I ran out of the car looking for a bathroom. When I was finished, we went into the building and looked at the cells, very creepy. We saw Al Capone's cell, it had a leather wing back chair a floor lamp, a desk, bed with a red bedspread, carpet, nice walls. It was very rich looking.

We went into some other areas of the building and Lester and I went inside one of the cells, I accidentally shut the door, didn't think much of it, Les and I took pictures, Les posed as if hanging himself as we went to open the door, it was locked.

"Oh ah, yo Ranger, the door is stuck. Can one of you pick the lock?"

They all turned around looking at us, Ranger thought it was funny and he was taking pictures. They started all laughing.

"Sorry Babe, I don't have any tools with me."

I was holding on to the bars trying to shake it open but it wouldn't budge, Lester thought it was hysterical and the guys were laughing. I yelled at them saying it wasn't funny. I was going crazy, it was a creepy cell, I was starting to freak out. I continued shaking the cell door and not one single movement.

"_**STOP LAUGHING AND LET US OUT**_."

Manny said to everyone, hey guys this is the perfect time to ditch them and head back home. I gave him an evil glare. One of the employees came running over asking what all the commotion was and I told him the door wouldn't open. He said he had no clue where the keys were but he would be back.

"Ranger, please let me out, this place is scary and creeping me out."

"Will you behave the rest of the trip?"

"Yes."

He came over found a long pin attached to one of the bars on the door and he picked the lock, I jumped at him, wrapping my arms around his neck saying let's go, the place was creepy. I ran out of the building and headed straight for the car, I needed to get the musty smell off me.

As everyone got to the car, Ranger mumbled something all I heard was only 2 ½ hours and already trouble and cell. I was not about to ask him to elaborate for fear he would turn back for home.

I wanted Ranger to sit in the back with me so we could play kissy face, it took a little convincing, but he agreed. Woody and Ram were in front, Les and Manny middle row. I was in the back with my sexy man. Once we were settled I snuggled into Rangers chest, Woody asked where to next.

"Boys, our next stop is the shriveled arm museum."

"What the fuck is a shriveled arm museum, seriously?" Ram replied looking at me.

I gave Woody the address and snuggled back into Ranger. I whispered in his ear asking him if he wanted to make out since we were in the back seat. He just shook his head and gave me a slight smile.

Well I took that as a yes and started to kiss his ear, neck, his adams apple and made my way up to his mouth, whispered a few sweet nothings in his ear, that got him. Finally responded, we were like two teenagers in the back seat. Suddenly the music was blasting; Les turned around threw something at us and told us to take it to a hotel.

We finished the kissing session and snuggled, saying I was thirsty, they all yelled no; you are not getting a drink at one stop and pee at another. I put my ear buds in, listened to relaxing music, and fell asleep.

I woke up as we were driving over some bumpy roads, I looked around, and there was nothing but old buildings, warehouses a few little shops and restaurants. Ranger gave me a kiss on my head when he realized I was awake.

"Did you have nice nap sunshine?"

"Yeah, where are we?"

"About 15 minutes from the shriveled arm."

I pulled out a bottle of water from the cooler in the back and started drinking. I was getting hungry.

We arrived at the Boonsboro Museum of History. We looked around there was a variety of items, a beheading ax, Egyptian mummies, part of a window from The White House, cannons, carved bullets.

We finally saw the shriveled human arm; it was resting on wooden pegs with a civil war era bullet lodged near where the elbow used to be. The Battle of Antietam, it said that a local church had all its pews filled with wounded soldiers and outside the windows, amputated arms, and legs were piled high.

The owner added the bullet as a visual aid and the arm was not a Civil War relic. It was an initiation item for a local lodge to scare people.

We took pictures, but not much to get excited about so we decided to ask the owner Doug where the best place was to eat. He told us to go to Dan's pub house, just a few minutes away. We were surprised it was actually nice. We decided to sit outside and eat.

I ordered the Steak and Cheese sandwich, Ranger ordered garden penne, which was Penne pasta with vegetables mixed, and the guys ordered burgers. I wanted to order a large diet coke, but they all shouted NO, they were not going to stop. They were going to make this road trip a nightmare for me.

The waitress was hysterical, she gave the guys a dirty look for yelling at me about my drink, she slapped Woody upside the head, she had to have been mid 50's a little on the chubby side, but really cute.

"Hey bud, you treat the lady here with some respect, so why can't she order a diet coke?"

"Because, in 30 minutes she'll have to pee then she'll want to get a drink after she pees and we'll have to stop again. She's already peed 3 times and this is only our 2nd stop."

"Oh, honey he does have a point there. I'll get you water instead. So little girl, what are you doing with all these gorgeous men, you got room for another female, which one belongs to you; wait let me take a guess."

She looked at all of us together then at each of us. Then pointed at Lester, which made him all full of himself I said nope, you get one more guess, she guessed Manny, nope. I grabbed Ranger by the face and planted a big old fat kiss.

"Honey, you got some good taste in men, whether they're your husband or not. I wouldn't mind traveling around with this bunch."

"Oh you should see all the ones back at home, if you're ever in Trenton look me up, I'll be happy to introduce you to one, two, or three of them."

I gave her my card, she said you got a deal and walked away.

"OK this woman gets a huge huge, I mean big tip, it's the first time I have ever been with Ranger that a woman hasn't gone ape shit all over him and didn't even notice I was there."

Rose brought our drinks out and said our food would be ready shortly, walked over to another table to take care of them. She brought our food out, everything looked good, I wanted a bite of everything, but didn't dare ask.

"Yes Babe, you can taste some of mine."

He fed me some of his pasta and it was delicious, I asked him if he wanted some of mine he looked at me as if I just escaped from that State Penitentiary we visited. We finished eating and relaxed for a little bit. Nature was calling so I got up to find the restroom.

I took care of business, washed my hands fixed my hair and makeup, heading back to our table. As I stepped out to the outdoor eating area, there was a table of bikers sitting there. They were whistling I looked around to see who was behind me. One of the guys got up and walked over to me put his arm around me.

"Oh baby, not only are you hot, you're sweet and innocent too, I was whistling at you baby."

"Get your hands off me and get away from me before I show you how sweet I'm not."

He moved in closer as I heard scraping of chairs, I saw Ranger and team in the midst of the bikers. I saw Lester running towards me and I introduced this ass to my knee. I kicked his balls so high up; he could only let out a whimper. Lester punched the guy in the gut he went down.

Lester grabbed me, moved me away from the jackass who was flat on his face on the floor and went to join in the other rampage. Thankfully I had my conceal weapon permit, we were all legal to carry. I pulled my gun and pointed.

"OK assholes, I have a gun, first one of you to throw another punch gets it."

The one Manny was fighting with pulled out a knife. I shot him in the leg, the other idiots were startled, my team had their guns pulled and pointed at the bikers. I could see the jackass on the floor crawling his way over to me and just as he was about to grab my leg, I kicked him in the face.

We heard sirens, three patrol cars and one ambulance showed up, Manny, Woody, Ram, and Lester each had someone cuffed, I had creepy guy on the floor cuffed with my foot on him. We all put our guns back as Ranger walked over to the cops, hands up showing he was not a threat.

One cop stayed with Ranger as they were talking the other two came over to us, asking what happened. Rose came out excited.

"Aaron honey, I'll tell you what happened, I saw it all. Well you see that sweet young lady over there, ok so she may not look so sweet standing there like that but she is, trust me on that. Any way, she got up…."

Rose walked him inside the restaurant and told him I guess everything that she saw we all had to go down to the station, the ambulance took the guy I shot to the hospital, they asked what was wrong with the guy on the floor, I told them what I did, they looked at him and said he was ok.

The cops took our guns to make sure we would go to the station to give statements and sign off, they needed to check our conceal permits to make sure they were up to date and legit. We got in our car and followed them to the station.

We pulled up I couldn't help but snicker, it was a two story white house. All I could think of was Mayberry, I wonder if these cops only had one bullet each. Oh that was mean I thought to myself. Ranger was shaking his head.

Inside was cute, it had desks and in the back were a couple of holding cells, they told us to all sit down as they shoved the bikers in the cells.

We each had to give our statement again, thank God they had computers to do the reports rather than type. They printed the reports, after looking them over, we signed them. They had made copies of our conceal permits and were running them for verification.

The Chief walked in a few minutes later, he introduced himself and shook our hands. He asked us what brought us to Boonsboro, Ranger told him about our trip to Florida, that I wanted to stop off at the shriveled human arm museum, the Chief laughed.

"Betting the shriveled arm wasn't all you expected. Well young lady, I understand that you are the reason for all the commotion at Dan's."

"No not really Chief, I was minding my own business when creepy over there got too close for my liking and I asked him to move away from me, he didn't so I introduced my knee to his balls. Then I saw him crawling to grab my leg, that's when I kicked him in the face. I shot the guy after I warned him to stop and he pulled a knife out."

He could see I was getting nervous he patted my arm.

"Mrs. Manoso, you have no reason to be nervous everything is OK. Rose told Aaron everything that clears all of you."

Ranger put his arm around me, he knew I was coming off the adrenaline and was calming me down by rubbing my arm. The Chief handed Ranger our permits and sat down at a desk.

"Well you folks have quite the powerful sponsors of your permits, quite impressive. Mr. Manoso I know of your reputation being former military myself, it's an honor to meet you."

"Thank you Chief, always good to meet a fellow Armed Forces brother."

I asked the Chief what the population of Boonsboro was, he said 3500 people, they had seven officers and he made it eight. The Chief asked if he could take a picture with all of us, Ranger said it was ok, so we took a few pictures.

We had to go back to the restaurant and take care of our bill, Ranger insisted on taking care of the damages. When we arrived back at the restaurant, it all looked like nothing happened.

As we went inside Rose came over, she hugged me and said she was proud of me for showing those creeps what I was made of. I couldn't help but laugh, oh if she only knew the old me. Ranger told her we wanted to settle our bill and take care of any damages.

She said there was nothing to take care of except the bill, but that is never good enough of an answer for Ranger, he will never ever walk away from anything without taking care of the matter. He always got his way regardless.

He took out a bunch of cash and put it on the bar, Rose told him it was too much, he gave her a look; she grunted looked at me turned back to Ranger. He continued his death stare; she backed down knowing she lost the fight.

"You have a good man here honey, I am confident he takes very good care of you."

"He sure does Rose, yep sure does, that's one of the many things I love about him."

"Come on trouble, we need to head out, you've already managed to have 3 bathroom breaks, get locked up in a cell, kicked a guy twice, shot a man in the leg ,visited the local police station and we're only 4 hours into our trip."

Rose started laughing she asked Ranger if he is serious, the guys said hell yeah he's serious; Manny told her we still had 16 hours to go. I don't know what came over me; I think the adrenaline rush finally hit me because I started crying.

"I didn't mean for any of this to happen, the cell wasn't my fault and neither were the creepy guys."

As if crying wasn't enough hiccups were added to the tears, I now wanted to turn back and go home. Ranger wrapped his arm around me and kissed me.

"Babe, I'm sorry but you have to admit it's funny. Come on, you and I will sit in the back so we can make out again."

"I have to go to the bathroom again."

I said sniffing, grumbling came from the guys, took care of things wiped the tears, fixed myself up, I gave Rose a hug and told her I was serious about if she ever came to town. We got in the car, Manny was driving this time, so he was up in front with Lester, Woody and Ram wanted the back, we got in the middle row.

"Where to next bomber"

"Miles the Monster, Dover Delaware"

Ranger looked at me and said ever so loudly, MILES THE WHAT? I told him it was the Dover International Speedway mascot, a huge concrete monster, and the fountain of youth is there too. All I heard were grunts and grumbling from everyone except Lester.

I put on a pouty look and started crying again, Les turned around concerned, Ranger raised an eyebrow, Manny rolled his eyes, and Ram and Woody laughed. I started getting really pissed.

"OK you know what screw all of you, let's just all go back home and forget about this damn trip."

They all apologized and said no we are going to continue the trip as planned and they promise not to be assholes. Yeah let's, see how long that promise lasts. Manny said it is a 2 hour 45 minute drive so we should relax and get some rest.

_**A/N: **_There is more to come, but we won't post for a couple of weeks, I'm moving Saturday, Melanie is coming off from having the Flu.

Next stop, Dover DE, what kind of trouble can they get into there considering it's NASCAR. OH BOY.

Hope you enjoyed this one.


	8. The Monster

"_**In Love and Married"**_

_**Chapter 8**_

_**The Monster,**_

Previously...

"OK. You know what screw all of you! Let's just all go back home and forget about this damn trip!"

They all apologized and said we are going to continue the trip as planned, and they promised not to be assholes. Yeah, let's see how long that promise lasts. Manny said it is a two-hour and forty-five minute drive, so we should relax.

…...

I must have dozed off again, because the next thing I heard was Les saying something about a 15-minute eta. I took a deep breath and the most wonderful smell filled the air, Carlos. I snuggled closer into my Bulgari wearing hubby.

"We're almost there, Babe."

"I'm still asleep." I mumbled back.

He chuckled softly in reply.

"Ah. Come on, Beautiful. You are the one you wanted to see the Smile Monster." Lester pointed out.

I forced one eye open, and through sleep heavy vision, saw Les's smiling face. "Smile Monster? No, Miles the Monster. Really, Lester. Why would there be a Smile Monster?" I shook my head slightly against my hubby's chest.

"Yeah, man." Ram laughed being sarcastic.

"Of course" Les defended himself "because Miles makes so much more sense." He gave Ram a slight kick to his leg, which Ram quickly returned with greater force. I sat up to watch the show, as the two men in the seat in front of me were rapidly throwing punches and grunting at one another. I turned to Carlos and told him my money was on Ram.

"Ouch! That hurts, Beautiful. I'll remember that when you ask me to protect you from the Smile Monster." Les remarked in between hitting Ram in the arm and getting punched in the gut. Carlos cleared his throat and they both stopped fighting. Instead, they stared at each other while catching their breath.

"Miles, Les. Not Smiles!" I reached over and punched him in the arm myself. He rubbed it as if I caused some damage.

"I think we all need to get out of the car soon before we kill one another." Manny muttered while pulling through the raceway gates.

"Stop the car!" I yelled while banging on the window. "There! There he is!"

Manny slammed on the brakes and everyone was jerked forward.

"What the hell, Manny? You trying to kill us?" Ram shouts.

"Me? Steph scared me half to death!" Manny yelled back.

"Babe, who did you see? Is he armed? Are your Spidey-senses going off? Lester, Ram, take point."

Carlos commanded, and pushed me down and covered me with his body. Normally, I wouldn't mind being covered with his body, but he had taken my breath away and not in the good way.

"Carlos, stop! There is no gun, bomb, or threat." I pushed him off me and tried to sit up. "Just look out the window. You'll see him."

"Report! Do any of you have eyes on the perp?" Ranger barked out.

"Negative." Ram replied.

"No one." Manny chimed in.

"Just this giant rock thing on top of the building." Les reported.

"That's it!" I cheered and clapped. "Let's go!" I rushed out the car door and was at the building, when I realized I was alone. I had turned around to ask if we could take a tour, and saw that they were still in the car.

"Guys! What are you waiting for? Come on!" I waved them over. No one budged. I got out my phone and called Carlos. It rang four times before he answered! Not a good sign.

"What are you doing? Come on." I asked. Silence.

"Are you alright?" I was getting concerned.

"Yes." Finally, he answered.

"Why are you still in the car?"

"I am trying to calm down."

Oops. This cannot be good. At least he isn't using my name. The next thing I heard was a dial tone. There was a moment more before Ram and Lester got out, but

Carlos remained seated in the back. He had his eyes closed and was pinching the bridge of his nose with thumb and forefinger. Les walked up to me smiling and shaking his head.

"What? I don't get it. Is he mad?" I asked.

"Oh yeah." He laughed.

"But...but why? What did I do this time?"

"Well, let me see if I can help. Hm... Well, bang on the windows like a crazy person and scream there he is. It's not as if you have recently been stalked, threatened, and almost killed. Or, that this happens often. Come to think of it, even the first time I met you the crazies came out." He started laughing to himself.

"Your point?" I slapped his arm. He tried to get his laughing under control and calm down. When he looked at me and saw my frustration, he got serious.

"Steph, you really don't get it? He loves you. We all do."

"I know that, Les."

"I don't think you do. The thought of you in danger or hurt is not an idol thing for us. Any of us, but to him..." Les glanced back at Carlos still in the car. "To him it's like going through hell itself, and that is not something he takes lightly." Les shook his head and then looked Steph in the eye.

"Steph, how did you feel when he was shot or missing?"

My heart started to race at the thought, the memories. Of course, he would feel this way. I knew that. I just didn't... I didn't even look at Lester when I thanked him as I focused on getting to Carlos. I walked straight to him. He was sitting still in the backseat. I lightly tapped on the window, and saw a small twitch at the corner of his mouth. A moment later, he rolled down the window, but still looked straight ahead.

"I'm sorry I scared you. I didn't think. Lo siento, I'm sorry." That got his attention. He looked at me, and I bent down and kissed him. I whispered against his lips, "Forgive me?" He answered with a slight nod before kissing me. I heard Les cheering in the background, and I couldn't help giggling. Carlos smiled before saying with a wink, "Let's go see this Smile Monster."

…...

"We are so glad to have y'all join us at the track today. I hope you are ready for some fun." Our tour guide, Dale began with enthusiasm.

"Yes, we are, Dale! We cannot wait to hear all about the monster, too. What was his name again?" Lester chuckled and I elbowed him in the ribs.

"Ah! That would be our track's mascot, Miles. You see the high-banked concrete oval here at Dover International Speedway is known as "The Monster Mile" so it is perfectly reasonable that its management would build a giant monster as its mascot."

Les nodded in agreement, and Dale continued. "Miles appears to be a cousin to The Thing and The Hulk. His glowing red eyes can be seen from Hwy 1, a half-mile away. Did you know that he has been our mascot since 2000?"

"No, I had no idea." Les answered, and this time Ram punched him in the arm. Dale raised an eyebrow at them, but continued.

Am I the only one who can't raise one eyebrow? I practiced while Dale yammered on about Mile's legs, until Ranger nudged me. He was trying to hold in a laugh. "Oops." I silently mouthed, and was surprised by the kiss I got in return.

"Yum. What was that for?" I asked when he let me up for air.

"I couldn't resist." He smirked, before coming back for seconds.

"Come on guys! You can make out in the car! I want to get a picture of Ram next to the monster guy. I

think they are related." Les yelled. We followed Les so he could get a picture.

...

A/N All characters belong to JE, thank you JE for letting us play with your babies.

Story line belongs to Melanie and Olivia.

More fun to come...


	9. Babe doesn't disappoint

_**In Love and Married**_

_**~9~**_

_**Babe doesn't disappoint**_

_Previously_

"_Come on guys! You can make out in the car! I want to get a picture of Ram next to the monster guy. I think they are related." Les yelled. We followed Les so he could get a picture._

….

The guys were all posing for pictures and I wanted to climb Miles so when no one was looking I decided to start making my way up the arms there were crevices and holes that made it easy for me to climb.

I managed to make my way up to his head, sat on his shoulder, and yelled out to Ranger and my Merry Men. "Hey Les, how's this for a photo op?" I didn't realize how tall Miles was. I thought I remembered reading about 40+feet. Oh, crap I was going to be in trouble now.

I really couldn't make out the look on their faces but I could tell they were not happy excited ones. My phone started ringing but I was afraid to reach back into my pocket to answer it since I was nervous when I realized how high up I was.

Dale came over handed Ranger something and I heard him quite clearly. "Stephanie Michelle Manoso so help me, if you don't get the hell down from there we're leaving you up there. What are you thinking pulling this crap?"

When Ranger uses Stephanie I know he's mad, when he uses my middle and last name, I'm flipping toast, I'm in so deep now there's no smile, kiss or sex position that could get me out of this trouble. That's for damn sure.

I gave them a finger wave, not sure, if they could see me. I started to make my way down, it was a little harder coming down, but I made it. I noticed that Les was taking pictures; of course, he is not going to let me live this down.

I was just about to jump off the concrete block I used to climb when Ranger grabbed me and took off towards the car with me trailing behind him. To say he was pissed was an understatement.

"What the hell is wrong with you Stephanie, do you have a death wish?" He said calmly but in a very deadly tone. "I'm trying not to be Morelli but honestly I can see why he acted like a crazy nut."

I stood looking at him and the tears fell, sobbing quietly with lips quivering. Ranger grabbed me and pulled me into him wrapping his arms around me, he stayed quiet while he continued holding me. After a few minutes, he pulled us apart and looked at me. "Babe are you ok, did you hurt yourself up there?"

"No, I'm fine; I ripped my jeans and scratched my knee but that's about it." I said through tears and gasps.

"Babe, you scared me," putting his forehead against mine. "I'm sorry for pulling a Morelli and yelling at you. I promise not to let it happen again," Ranger whispered lovingly. "Please forgive me."

"I didn't mean to scare you it just looked like so much fun and I couldn't resist." Saying as Ranger wiped away the tears. Taking my hand and leading me back to the guys. I was met with a very stern looking Dale who was about to say something but suddenly stopped my guess was he was given a death glare.

Dale took us for a tour of the facility including the pit area and then over to the track. We stood watching as a car was driving on the track. The car slowed down making its way to where we were standing, the driver exited the car, took off their helmet and to my surprise it was a female, as she moved closer to us I recognized it was none other than Danica Patrick.

Dale introduced her to us, she is a beautiful woman and not to mention the most successful woman in auto racing. She is tiny; I was towering over her 5' something frame. She was sweet on top of it. We all talked for a little bit and then she asked if I wanted to take the car out for a run. I looked at Ranger knowing he'd say no, but I was surprised when he gave me a bright smile and told me to go for it.

Dale shook his head as Danica said I'm going to get the other car so we can race, "Danica, seriously?" "Yepppp" Danica replied with a do not mess with me look.

Dale came over looking me up and down and walked away while shaking his head, he came back a few minutes later with a jumpsuit and helmet. He suited me up, gave me instructions to behave myself, and handed me the helmet and gloves. Then another car appeared on the track along with a crew.

"Wow this is unbelievable," I said as we all walked over to the cars. Danica gave me some instructions and her crewmembers helped me finish getting suited up and put the video camera in the car and lifted me up into the racecar.

Manny volunteered to be the flag person and the team captain gave me some last minute instructions and told me to have fun and let it loose.

I got in the car and took it around slowly to get the feel of the car and track. I was talking the entire time to no one in particular. Suddenly Danica crept up behind me and just let it roar I wasn't having any of that so I thought I'd show her what I was made of and let it rip.

Finally catching up to her or should I say she let me catch up to her. We went around the track several times getting a feel for things. I was thinking to myself, ''oh baby this is a blast, it's almost as good as having sex with Ranger, YEP almost as good."

I could see Lester standing on the side waving the caution flag after a few turns I came to a stop. The crew came jogging to the car and helped me out, Lester came running over with his phone recording so I decided to pull a sexy shot, taking off the helmet slowly and moving my head to loosen my hair that was sitting on the top of my head. Just like in the beer commercials.

Ranger was smiling, Lester was lusting, and the rest of the guys were laughing. I took a few pictures with the car, the crew and with Danica then we took a group picture the last one with Dale. Ranger picked me up twirling me. "Proud of you babe, you never disappoint."

"Danica, thank you so much that was fun, Ranger I wish you were in the car with me it was a blast." One of the crewmembers came over with a small disk, "Miss. Stephanie this is for you it's the recording of you driving."

I couldn't wait to see it, he helped me out of my jumpsuit and they drove the cars off the track. Dale escorted us back to Miles the Monster so we could take a group picture. Then we all headed back to the car. Ranger was going to drive, I told Lester that I would sit with him; Manny was in front with Ranger with Woody and Ram in the back.

"Next stop Fountain of Youth." I said to everyone. "Oh this ought to be a shitload of fun," Woody and Ram said unison and they started laughing. It was not going to be a very long drive. I was still grinning from ear to ear from my experience on the track.

"Beautiful, you were awesome on that track; you are one bad ass race car driver." Lester was saying as he was toying with my hair.

A short while later we arrived at the location of the Fountain of Youth, I started playing tour guide again, reading some of what I had researched on the internet. "Legend has it that the Fountain of Youth in Lewes was discovered by the area's first Dutch colonists in 1631. Perhaps this is true, for in the centuries that have passed Lewes has become a well-heeled Bay Shore community - with lots of private docks for big power boats owned by suspiciously youthful, Dutch-looking rich people."

Ram and Woody were yawning and ho humming throughout my reading; I ignored them and continued reading loudly. "The Lewes Chamber of Commerce built the tiny gazebo that marks the Fountain of Youth in 1937. Curiously, the Fountain is now bone dry, and the rare, leftward-spiral conch shell cup that used to hang from the gazebo (said to boost the Fountain's regenerative powers) is missing. A big sign next to the Fountain reads:

PRIVATE PROPERTY

FOR D.A.R. MEMBER USE ONLY

If this isn't a conspiracy by the superrich, then what is?"

We piled out of the car and headed over to the little gazebo and sure enough, it was dry as a bone, after taking some pictures it was time for us to leave, there really wasn't anything else to do.

"There's 20 minutes of my life I will never get back," Manny said and Ranger laughed.

"Manny, shut up you smart ass. Guys, I'm hungry, can we go eat, there's a great restaurant down the street Agave Mexican Grill and Tequila Bar." I tried not to sound like a pouting child. But I was not going to let them spoil the fun of our trip either.

We left there and drove to the restaurant, "sorry guys, the fountain of youth sounded a lot more exciting but after the race track, I guess the White House would be boring." I said to them with an innocent smile on my face. I wanted to make peace and get everyone back in to the right frame of mind.

First order of business at the restaurant was using the restroom, we walked inside, and I walked straight over to the bathroom. I finished up and headed over to the table. It was so pretty inside the restaurant; I sat next to Ranger and started munching on the chips and salsa that had been brought to the table.

The server came back to the table with our drinks, Ranger must have ordered me a diet coke, and I looked at him with surprise since he hates me drinking that stuff. "Thank you honey" I said as I kissed him.

The group of us ordered a variety of foods a couple of salads, tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas and fajitas. Everything looked delicious and let me say, the food tasted even better then it looked. It was yummy and the moaning happily surfaced.

I wanted something sweet and Manny ordered banana empanadas, with caramel and chocolate sauce for dipping and churros. I managed to stuff myself to oblivion with all the food I consumed, but I couldn't help it, it was all so delicious. I had to unbutton my button on my jeans and Ranger laughed and shook his head.

After more restroom stops, we piled into the SUV. Ranger opened the passenger door and helped me in the car then walked around the front and slid in behind the wheel. "OK madam tour guide, where to next?" I laughed, as Ranger was being Mr. Humorous. "Well driver, our next stop is Dinosaur Land in White Point VA" I read the address off as Ranger was entering the info into the GPS.

"Boys and girls, we have a three and a half hour drive ahead of us, relax and enjoy the ride." My sexy Cuban was being a funny guy. It really helped to bring a smile to everyone's face.

"Bomber, what is there for us to enjoy at Dinosaur Land?" Woody asked with a curious look.

"Well Woody, this attraction park was built in the 60's there are stone dinosaurs, a 20' King Kong holding a little Cessna, a 60' long shark, a 14' tall praying mantis, 70' long purple octopus and a huge cobra. It should be fun." I replied knowing full well he was being a smart ass.

We were on our way and I was sitting minding my own business. About 45 minutes into the drive, Lester started to say something, clearing his throat, "Beautiful, no climbing up the 20' King Kong" he said with such authority.

"Yeah, Bomber, no climbing the 14' Praying Mantis either" said Ram snickering. I started to open my mouth and then Manny spoke up.

"NO CLIMBING ON ANYTHING, got it," Manny said very loudly. I sat there, mouth wide open to speak but nothing came out, I was actually speechless. Ranger put his fingers under my chin to close my mouth.

"Babe, can we have a trouble free time here, if you can't promise not to scare me, we're going to drive straight through without any stops." I was starting to feel like a child.

"What are you guys all talking about? I haven't caused any trouble, nothings been blown up and we haven't run into anymore crazies." I sat there innocently

In unison I heard, Babe, Beautiful, are you kidding, Seriously Bomber, have you been on this trip with us, and Manny laughing. I swear they had that entire speech planned. I sat facing the passenger window, put my ear buds in, and crossed my arms at my chest. Yep, happy to admit I was pouting like a little girl.

Ranger took my face in his hand and turned my head to look at him and I gave him one of my famous 'Burg' glares and turned back to look out the window.

I was singing and dancing along to my music, not realizing how loud I was getting. I was moving around and I turned to my left and Ranger was staring at me, then I saw the guys were all staring at me. I took one of the ear buds out and very sarcastically said "what, now I'm not allowed to sing either?"

They all sat back and Ranger took my hand, kissed my fingers, and held it while he was driving. I looked at him. "Babe, after the dinosaur place, we'll stop at a hotel and spend the night, so can you look for one close by and call to reserve some rooms, please." He asked ever so sweetly.

"Yes sir." I pulled out my iPad and found what looked like a nice Comfort Inn about 15 minutes away. I called and made reservations for three rooms; the guys said they'd share rooms. I asked for the top floor with the rooms located next to each other.

"Taken care of, we're all on the top floor, Ranger you and I have a king size room, and 2 rooms with two king beds in each room for the rest of you guys. There are a few restaurants nearby, not much else other than attractions which I am sure no one is in the mood for."

"Thanks, Babe, now would you mind taking out your ear buds and joining the rest of us on the drive, it's too quiet without you." He said as he took my hand again and played with my rings on my finger, which always brings a smile to my face.

"Hey Beautiful, can you pull up the dinosaur place on your iPad, I want to see the pictures of the place." Lester asked, I think they are trying to make up for pissing me off. I will have to remember this pouting technique; it makes them re-adjust their attitude.

"Babe, what's that smirk, what are you plotting?" Ranger asked with trepidation.

"Me, I'm not plotting anything." I said with a touch of innocence.

"Uh huh, sure." He laughed as he continued playing with my ring. I asked if he was thirsty and someone in the back passed a couple bottles of water from the cooler to us. I opened a bottle and handed it to him and I drank mine.

Ranger put his bottle in the cup holder, took my hand, continued to play with my rings, and kissed my finger. I turned and looked at him and he gave me loving look. As the guys behind us were looking through the pages on the Dinosaur Land website they were laughing and I chose to ignore them.

"Babe, they're just playing around, I feel like the dad taking his boys on a road trip." Ranger said with a laugh. I turned and looked at my four Merry Men and I saw little boys not grown bad ass special forces and I laughed turned and gave Ranger a huge smile.

While Ranger was playing with my rings, he kissed my hand and held it to his lips, he was being different, he is not one to show this much affection in front of his men. Nevertheless, I took it all in and savored every moment then suddenly he had a serious look to his face.

"Babe, I still can't believe that we're married, are you happy?" He asked looking at me with worry and concern.

"Ranger, I am very happy, I wouldn't change my life for anything in the world, I love our life, and I never thought I'd say this, but I love being married to you. I love you. I have a wonderful husband and an awesome life. What's there not to be happy about?" I leaned over kissing him on the cheek.

He smiled at me and I looked at him inquiring, "Let me ask you, are you happy?"

"Absolutely and wouldn't want my life any other way, I love what we have" he said without any hesitation what so ever. Then to ruin the entire mood, our four little bundles of joy sitting in the back all said, eewww, gushy, icky. I started cracking up.

We all talked about random things and 3 hours later, we finally arrived at Dinosaur Land. I was getting pretty excited. The website looked like it was going to be a fun time. We pulled in to the lot and were lucky to find a shady spot to park the SUV. Before getting out we all put on our holsters and guns. Then we straightened our jackets and shirts out and got out of the SUV.

One of the things I love when I'm with Ranger or any of the guys, I don't have to lug my big bag around with me. Because when we are working, we all wear our gear. We all have concealed permits, approved by the U.S. Government due to Rangeman business and connections. I carry wristlets now with necessary ID and credit cards and lipstick, the only time I carry a bag now is when Ranger and I go out and I do not wear a holster.

We entered through the gates and one of the security guards asked us all to follow him. A few seconds later, we were joined by a couple more rent-a-cops. The first guy was about to search me and I stepped back telling him not to touch me, Ranger and the guys all stood around me.

"What's the problem, why do you need to do a search?" Ranger asked with a deadly voice.

"I spotted a gun on her; didn't ya'll see the no weapons sign?" The guy replied nervously. Lester moved away from me as the others closed in and he spoke to the other security guys.

"OK, we all carry concealed permits, we have them with us, and we will be happy to show our permits to you." Lester said in an authoritative pissed off manner. We all started to pull out our permits and the other visitors were now all standing around us staring. Woody turned around and told everyone that was watching there was nothing to see and to move on.

Next thing we see are patrol cars pulling into the lot. Now I was getting pissed, we didn't do anything, say anything to set anyone off, we simply went through the gates minding our own business. The officers came over to us, one of them walked over to the crowd telling them to move it along.

They asked what the problem was and the security guard told them that I had a gun and that the men were hiding me so that he could not search me. Ranger talked to the Sergeant introducing himself. He explained the situation. We all presented our permits; the Sergeant took them to his patrol car with Lester following behind. A few minutes later, they returned and Lester had our permits.

"Mr. Manoso, your company has quite the impressive credentials and connections, ya'll are free to go, sorry for the inconvenience and misunderstanding." As we were walking away, I heard the Sergeant explaining to the Security Guards very loudly, "next time someone tells you they have permits; you let them show you and not initiate a search without proper justification. If something serious were to happen here, I would trust that group to secure any threat before I would trust the likes of you. Their permits are courtesy of the U.S. Government and you are to leave them alone throughout their visit here, do I make myself clear?"

The guards all looked at each other and said yes sir, the cops left and we went on our way and my Merry Men all started laughing I stopped hands on hips looking at them with a deadly look, "listen assholes, you are not pinning that on me, I didn't do anything wrong."

"That's the beauty of it all, Bomber, you don't have to do anything, trouble just follows you" Ram said laughing hysterically. I kicked his ass and started running away from them laughing until Ranger caught up with me picked me up smiling and kissing me.

"You never disappoint Babe and that's one of the many things I love about you."

XXXXXX

What kind of trouble can they get into?

Thank you for the reviews and for continuing to read. I hope you are enjoying the antics of the trip. Thank you Susan Peters, you're awesome.


	10. Chapter Land of the Giants

**In Love and Married**

**~10~**

**Land of the Giants**

_Previously_

"_That's the beauty of it all, Bomber, you don't have to do anything, trouble just follows you" Ram said laughing hysterically. I kicked his ass and started running away from them laughing until Ranger caught up with me picked me up smiling and kissing me._

"_You never disappoint Babe and that's one of the many things I love about you."_

_**/**_

After the ordeal with the rent-a-cops, we went on our way to see what this place had to offer. I was wishing with all I had that it would be a lot of fun, for the sake of my Merry Men. If this is a bust, they will bury me alive.

Just after entering the park there was an area that explained a little history . The park opened in 1960 because the owner was impressed with the fiberglass dinosaur at a putt putt golf course in Florida. When we finished reading the history of the park, we headed for the area where the dinosaurs were located. First, we saw a Stegosaurus; it was a plant-eating dinosaur. It had two rows of plants down its back; he looked pretty so I took pictures with that guy. Another dinosaur called the Coelophysis which was 6 feet-tall I named him Morelli. Then I saw a Megalosaurus aka Halosaurus, I took pictures with all the dinosaurs, Ranger and my band of brothers were good-natured about everything.

After the Dinosaur exhibit, we walked around the gift shop and bought some little things for everyone back home. The purchases were mainly key chains with the dinosaur that best represented each of my Merry Men. At the back corner of the park, there were scenes of dino on dino violence where a Triceratops gouges a T Rex, and a Megalosaurus eating another dinosaur, well you get the idea. It was all so much fun.

"Well what do you all think so far, isn't this fun?" I asked with the excitement of a child. Ranger came over, wrapped his arm around me, and kissed me on the cheek saying that he enjoyed it so far. My Merry Men were posing for pictures and showing off their muscles as women were walking by.

"Beautiful, you did good on this one. I have to admit, I like this place," replied Lester. We continued walking and I spotted a couple of the rent-a-cops following us. They were attempting to stay in the shadows but it wasn't happening for them. I stopped, turned back, and headed straight to them.

"Excuse me, what did the police officers tell you back at the front of the entrance? Weren't you told to leave us alone so that we can enjoy the park?" I asked with my hands on hips and a big Jersey attitude. Ranger and the men came over to us waiting for an answer.

"Miss, we're only doing our job, we are not bothering any of you" one of the men replied. Ranger stepped up to get in his face "walk away now or you deal with me," Ranger said with a deadly voice and with very few words he had made his point.

"Yes sir" both of the guards replied in unison and then walked away. Ranger came over, put his arm around me and said "good job Babe, lead the way madam tour guide." I started laughing as I continued talking about the park.

In addition to the dinosaurs, there was a 70 foot-tall purple octopus. I sat on the head acting as if I just captured the animal and Les took pictures. We asked someone to take pictures of all of us on the octopus. There were a group of women with little kids, which I assumed were moms on a field trip, one of the women was more than happy to help us.

Always on flirt mode, Lester was talking up the women and had them giggling, the kids now wanted to take pictures with the guys on the tentacles' of the purple octopus. I was feeling a little left out because no one asked to take pictures with me. I guess my face showed my disappointment because the sweetest little girl maybe 8 or 9, same height as my niece Mary Alice came over to me.

"Hi pretty lady, my name is Stephany, what's your name?" she asked looking up at me with such a sweet smile.

"My name is Stephanie too, how do you spell your name, mine ends with IE," I answered. Little Stephany opened her mouth and said, "I spell mine with a Y."

She took my hand, walked us over to the body of the octopus, sat us both down, and asked her mom to take pictures of just the two of us. She was sitting on my lap and playing with my hair. "Stephanie, why are you the only girl? Where are your friends?" she asked so innocently.

"These are my friends sweetie, that guy over there is my husband" I replied pointing to Ranger as she waved to him. "The other guys are my best friends, but I call them my brothers, I love them like brothers" she stared at the guys waving to them.

"You are so pretty Stephanie; I hope I am as pretty as you when I grow up." She said with a slight sad face. "Oh sweetie, you are more than pretty, you are absolutely beautiful, and you will be gorgeous when you grow up." I replied with what I hope was honesty and not just a statement.

"You think I am beautiful, really? Some of the kids at school call me ugly duckling, they make fun of my hair, and they tell me I'm too skinny." Little Stephany replied with such a serious look on her face. A woman who I assumed was her mother started to walk over to us but Manny stopped her, telling her to hold on for a second.

"Stephany, oh my goodness, you are far from being an ugly duckling, you are beautiful and you are not skinny, your body is perfect for your height and don't let anyone ever say anything mean about your body. Now about your hair, look at my hair it looks like a bird's nest sometimes, well most of the time but I don't let it bother me." She looked up at me with a smile on her face.

"Next time anyone picks on you about how you look, stomp your foot on the ground, put your hands on your hips and say I'm beautiful and don't ever forget it, then walk away. Let me show you, Manny, Ram, Woody, come over here, and pick on me." They came over and started picking on me about my hair, saying I was too tall for a girl and so on. I showed her exactly how to act and walked away with authority.

"Can I practice with your friends?" she asked as she looked at the guys, and they came over to her, started picking on her by making funny noises and faces saying you have funny hair. Stephany copied me exactly as I showed her and the guys stood there as she walked away, she was so dang cute.

"Miss Stephany, now listen to me, if people still pick on you a lot and start bullying you, tell your teacher and mom and dad as soon as you can alright?" Ram was kneeling so they were eye level. "I don't have a daddy, he was in the Marines but he's in heaven now" Stephany replied with sadness and tears.

We all just stood there silent and I had tears in my eyes, it was so sad to see her standing there. I looked at her mom who was now crying. Ram hugged the little girl and told her that they were all former Army and Marines. She hugged him so tight she would not let go.

Stephany's mom Victoria came over to me. "Stephanie, thank you so much for what you just did for my little girl, and you guys have been so wonderful. I had no idea she was going through this bullying at school, I just assumed she was depressed because she lost her dad. "Victoria took a picture of all of us and Stephany, Ram was holding her because she still would not let go of him.

"Stephanie, are you on Facebook or twitter? I'd like to keep in touch with you." Victoria asked.

"No I don't do any of that social media, I can barely keep up with my day to day tasks" I replied laughing. "But here's my card with my contact info, feel free to email me or call. If you ever make it to New Jersey call and we can get together." I said as we exchanged business cards.

"I will definitely keep in touch with you. Ram, I want to thank you so much for being so kind to my girl." Victoria said as she smiled sweetly at Ram, I am not sure when they introduced themselves to each other, but I think someone is smitten.

Stephany came over and gave me another hug; we said our goodbyes and headed towards the remainder of the attractions. The women and their kids were behind us, it appears they would be joining us on the rest of our visit. Hmmm.

We saw a huge fiber glass cobra, I took pictures posing as if I had just wrung its neck, and the kids were laughing at us. There was a 14 foot-tall praying mantis. It was creepy looking. A birthday party room had a Cave Man and Cave Lady. Next was a 20 foot-tall King Kong that was built by the owner, so of course we took pictures.

Ranger reached over and pulled my ponytail, while Manny and Lester yelled, "No way Bomber, you're not climbing King Kong." Woody and Ram started laughing, as did the women and the kids. Victoria asked what that was about, Ram explained about Miles the Monster.

We walked over to the 60 foot-long shark, its mouth was open and had teeth, we posed on the shark, and I sat on the head and slid down looking into his mouth. Apparently, the kids all found this funny; of course, pictures were being taken. I climbed off the head, got on the ground stuck my legs in the mouth, and started screaming quietly as if I was being swallowed. Then I crawled out and stuck my head in the mouth, kicking my legs and again pictures were being taken.

I tried to crawl out but I was stuck on something. I continued kicking and screaming, everyone thought I was still playing around until Ranger realized I wasn't kidding but that I was serious. We didn't want to draw any unwanted attention. The Merry Men tried to help me get out but they couldn't reach in far enough so Ranger asked one of the little boys if he could crawl inside the mouth and try to get me out.

Luckily, there weren't many people around us so we did not attract the rent-a-cops attention. The little boy crawled in and he played around with what was snagging me, it turned out to be my hair band so he kept pulling at it until I was loose. I crawled out to find Ranger standing with his arms crossed and Lester standing with his arm on Manny's shoulder.

"Babe, what am I going to do with you?" he said smiling walking towards me holding out his hand to help me up. I stood up and tried to fix my hair. Little Stephany came over laughing at me "Stephanie, your hair is funny."

"Yeah, Stephany, see what I mean about how crazy my hair can get." I laughed as Victoria handed me a hair clip that she pulled from her bag and I pulled up my hair in the clip and once again, I was a happy camper. We were finished up with all there was to see, so we found a place to stop and get something to drink and I needed to use the bathroom.

Ranger, ever aware of his surroundings walked to the bathroom with me. I took care of my needs, washed my hands, and fixed my hair before joining him outside. As we were walking back, he just laughed at me. "Babe, is there going to be a time throughout this trip that will be boring or uneventful?"

"You're a smart ass you know that? It's not like I plan things or intentionally cause things to happen, you have to admit, you've laughed more on this trip then you have the entire year and it's been fun." I said with a smirk as I stopped walking and kissed him.

"Babe, you were very sweet with Stephany, we should talk about having kids of our own." Ranger shocked me when he said that and all I could do was look at him.

When we joined everyone back at the picnic tables Ranger told us that it was time for our crew to leave for the hotel and have dinner. It seemed that Lester, Manny, and Woody had made plans to go to a local bar later tonight and asked if we wanted to go along, Ranger and I both declined. We left the park and made our way to the parking lot. Ram came over and asked Ranger and I if it was OK if he asked Victoria and Stephany to have dinner with us.

"Ram, we're going to Roma's on Fairfax for dinner, I've made reservations for 7:00pm, they can meet us there" I told Ram and he walked over to Victoria, they talked for a little bit and he came jogging over to the car with a huge smile on his face.

We drove to the hotel; the men unloaded our bags as I went inside to check in. I took the room keys and walked to the dining area where they had bowls of fresh fruit sitting around for the guests. I grabbed some apples, oranges and bananas for all of us. I gave each of the guys their key cards and passed out some fruit as we walked to our room which was nice, the rooms had two king size beds and ours had one king size bed. The rooms were comfortable and spacious.

"Guys, the restaurant is about 10 minutes from here, so we'll meet you in the lobby at 6:45, it's casual. See you in a few hours" I told them as Ranger put the do not disturb sign on the door handle. They laughed and each went into their respective rooms.

I jumped on the bed to get comfortable for a nap, but Ranger had other ideas. One thing led to another, clothes were thrown across the room and the hunk of all hunks was kissing me. "Babe, enough of the touristy stuff, now it's my turn to play tour guide" Ranger said nibbling on my ear; yeah he is a much better tour guide.

After a few rounds of adult fun we both fell asleep, we woke up to the phone alarm. Together we took a shower and started to get ready for dinner. When we finished we took the elevator to the lobby to meet the guys and headed out to the car. Leaving the hotel's lot I gave Ranger the address for the GPS, and we were on our way.

Arriving at the restaurant, we could see Victoria and Stephany already inside waiting. Ranger informed the greeter that we had reservations for a table in the corner of the restaurant. We were escorted to two tables pushed together set up for eight people. It was perfect a little bit away from everyone else but we could keep our eyes on the door, luckily there were only a couple of tables occupied exactly how Ranger likes it.

The restaurant offered an Italian Greek menu. Stephany wanted to sit next to Ram so after shuffling around to make sure we had enough eyes at the door we finally sat down. Lester ordered pitchers of beer, coke, and water and asked Victoria to order a drink for Stephany. Ranger and Manny said they would order the entrees for everyone since they were most familiar with this type of food. Ranger told the man who was taking care of us for our orders to be served family style.

Manny ordered the appetizers for the group. They included Calamari, Bada bang shrimp, Greek mushrooms, and Hummus and mozzarella sticks for Stephany as well as a kid's cheese pizza as her entree. Carlos ran through his list, a family size Italian salad, large veggie pizza, a few pasta dishes, Eggplant Parmesan, Wild Mushroom Ravioli, Spanakopita, Moussaka which I guess is the Greek version of lasagna and Salmon Pomodoro. I noticed no one had even thought about a dessert, I was going to have to take matters into my own hands. "Excuse me, can we please also have the Banana foster bread pudding and Flourless Chocolate cake."

As soon as I finished ordering dessert, I received glares from the entire table, well excluding Stephany and Victoria.

"Babe, seriously" Ranger said with trepidation. "What?" I replied shrugging my shoulder. Ranger put his arm around me leaning in closer to me. "I have plans for you later, I hope all the eating you're about to enjoy doesn't get in the way of our night" he whispered softly and kissed me. I smiled turning red.

The appetizers were absolutely delicious, I especially liked the Greek Mushrooms, the moaning was evident, and Stephany was laughing her head off. Victoria kept nudging her to stop but she continued laughing.

"Victoria, its OK we are all used to this by now, we begin to wonder when there isn't any moaning going on." Ram told Victoria as he was grinning and Stephany continued laughing.

We finished our dinner everything was so scrumptious. I have to say my favorite was the Moussaka; I am going to have to ask Ella to make some I hope she can. Stuffed out of my mind, I was so glad I chose a simple dress to wear otherwise; I would be unbuttoning my jeans.

There were a few conversations taking place at the table and I managed to hear Ram and Victoria making plans, they were going to hang out at the pool when we got back to the hotel and Lester, Manny and Woody were talking about going to the bar but we only had the one car.

"Hey boss, how about we drop you and beautiful off at the hotel and we take the car to the bar?" Lester asked wagging his eyebrow. Ranger laughed and threw the keys to him. I actually wanted to swim in the pool for a little while.

Ranger settled the bill leaving a substantial amount for a tip and we left and drove back to the hotel. Ram rode in the car with Victoria. Lester dropped Ranger and I back at the hotel.

"Boys, behave yourselves, we don't want to get a call in the middle of the night to come and bail you out of jail." I said pointing my finger and trying to sound like a mom.

"Us get in trouble, sorry but our name is not Plum." Woody replied sarcastically. "Ha, my name isn't Plum either smart ass, its MANOSO, or did you forget" I said laughing as I walked away sashaying my hips.

Ranger, Ram, Victoria, Stephany, and I got into the elevator and headed to our rooms, where Victoria, Stephany, and Ram could change into bathing suits, I had no clue when they planned it all.

"Honey, how about we go to the pool and swim for a little bit."

"We can do that Babe that way you can swim off all that food, and dessert you ate, you'll need energy for later." Ranger said wrapping his arms around me, then he slapped me on my butt and I got out of his arms and put on my bathing suit. Ranger looked at me a little funny after I had changed.

"What's the look for?" I asked him. "Nothing, your bathing suit is a little prim and proper, it's cute" he replied smiling.

"Well I figured since we would be at Disney which is family oriented, I didn't want to wear anything too skimpy, but don't worry there is something you'll like for the beach" I answered.

We went down to the pool to find it completely empty; we jumped in and swam a few laps. I was trying to beat Ranger, but he was not going to have any of that. I was behind him so I decided to get under the water and sneak up on him.

I swam quietly under the water until I reached Ranger and grabbed his package, as Grandma Mazur would say; he was a little surprised, dove under grabbing me. I tried to get away but he was holding on too tight. We wrestled with each other for a little bit and came up I got loose and swam away, he chased me and caught up with me. I was laughing hard while screaming and next thing I see Ram running into the pool area, "Bomber, boss are you OK?"

"We're OK Ram" Ranger replied, leading me to the side so we could get out of the pool. The peace and quiet was about to end as Manny, Lester and Woody walked into the pool area, grumbling.

"What's wrong with you three?" I asked.

"Ah the place was full of plain Jane types, totally not our thing, if you catch my drift" Woody replied as he jumped into the pool. Manny threw in a beach ball that was sitting on the side and we all played volleyball. Victoria was keeping her eye on Stephany and Ram would go and talk to her every now and then. There are definitely some sparks going on there.

After about an hour or so of swimming and playing in the water, I walked over to the shallow end but Lester grabbed me and pulled me under. I acted like I couldn't breath and made myself go limp, he took us up and carried me out of the water, kept slapping my face saying "come on Beautiful wake up, I'm sorry", he did that a few times and I lifted up my head and kicked him in the stomach shoving Lester back into the pool.

We all started laughing and Ranger picked me up, wrapping a towel around me, "come on Babe, let's go upstairs, let the youngins play. Men, gym time 0630" we said goodbye to Victoria and Stephany as we walked out towards the elevator.

When we walked into our room, Ranger pulled me up against the wall trapping me inside him arms. "Now Mrs. Manoso you've been a bad bad girl during this trip and I have no choice but to punish you" he said sternly with a wolfish grin on his face as he kissed me.

In the midst of his kisses breathing heavy, I replied, "Mr. Manoso, I have been a very very bad girl and I deserve all the punishment you have planned for me."

_**/**_

_**A/N: **__Thank you all so much for the reviews and for following the story, hope you enjoyed Stephanie's shenanigans at Dinosaur Land._

_What do you think is going on with Ram and Victoria? Hmmm, very interesting._

_Next stop, North Carolina, who knows what she'll pull during her NC trip, one can only imagine._

_And of course, my story would not have the pizzazz that it does without the magical touch of Susan Peters, **THANK YOU SO MUCH...**_


	11. The fun continues

_**In Love and Married**_

_**~11~**_

_Previously_

_When we walked into our room, Ranger pulled me up against the wall trapping me inside him arms. "Now Mrs. Manoso you've been a bad bad girl during this trip and I have no choice but to punish you" he said sternly with a wolfish grin on his face and he kissed me. _

_In the midst of his kisses breathing heavy, I replied, "Mr. Manoso, I have been a very very bad girl and I deserve all the punishment you have planned for me."_

_XXX_

"Babe, wake up its gym time." What the hell kind of dream is this I thought as I was rolling around the bed. Yikes, it wasn't a dream damn it's real.

"Ranger, go away its way too early for the gym." I said pushing him away.

"Get up now, you've done nothing but eat on this trip, and we haven't even made it to Orlando yet." Ranger said loudly. "Ranger, you gave me a pretty good workout last night, please let me sleep." I said pleading hiding under the covers.

"NO." Ranger picked me up and put me in a chair tossing a pair of yoga pants and t-shirt at me. He brought me a cup of coffee and I had no choice but to comply.

"Wait until you want sex buddy, just wait." I said hiding behind my coffee cup, I finished my coffee and poured myself another cup taking it to the bathroom with me. I washed up and pulled my hair up in a ponytail, was dressed and headed to the door when Ranger stopped me from opening the door and held me pinned. "Your pouting won't work Babe," he said as I glared at him.

"Who was it that promised to keep up with their physical training?" He asked staring at me. "I did," I replied sheepishly.

"Who made me swear that I would hold you accountable to working out if it looked like you were putting on weight?" He said with a worried look on his face.

"Are you saying I'm FAT?" I shrieked.

"NO that's not what I said and you know it, answer my question."

"I did, I made you promise." I answered regretfully.

"Well I'm following your orders, I've noticed you're getting a tiny bit pudgy, not that I mind. I just don't want to hear it when you can't zip up your jeans." He said frankly.

"Ranger, am I getting fat, really? I've had to undo my buttons on my jeans lately, please be honest with me." I begged him.

"Babe, you're not fat or getting fat and I wouldn't stop loving you or lusting after you even if you did get fat." He said sweetly.

"Even if I was as big as Lula?" I sadly asked him while looking at him to read his facial expressions.

"Well let's not go that far, but I'd love you no matter what, come on let's go to the gym and shed off that little pudge." Ranger said with a smile on his face, he kissed me and took my hand as we took the stairs to the gym. When we walked into the gym, my Merry Men were already working out.

Lester and Ram stopped in the middle of their routine as soon as they saw us; Manny and Woody ran to the window looking up at the sky.

"Guys, what do you see outside?" I asked curiously.

"Looking for flying pigs, bomber." Woody answered laughing; I let out a cry that was Lucy Ricardo worthy. Manny and Woody turned around looking at me with sad faces.

"Beautiful, what's wrong?"

"Babe?"

By now they all were staring at me wondering what was wrong.

"First Ranger tells me I'm getting fat." I heard major gasps coming from the four men. "I didn't say you were fat Stephanie," Ranger said defensively.

"Then you guys made fun of me being in the gym, looking for pigs flying." I continued in between my tears, all the men stood still and became very quiet.

Ranger hugged me and let me finish crying then led me to the treadmill, I walked and ran for 45 minutes, then on to the elliptical machine, and I was in a rhythm when Lester shouted. "Beautiful, you are far from fat, that ass is as tight as a drum."

"SANTOS, zip it now" Ranger ordered.

"Just telling it like it is boss." Lester replied while Manny threw a huge ball at him. Ninety minutes later we were done and I had to admit I felt better. I told my boys I wanted breakfast and we made our way to the dining area.

There was a buffet of eggs, sausages, French toast, biscuits and bacon. I was in dining glory. Ranger had bagels and cream cheese. I put some fresh fruit on a plate and brought us both coffee. I put the plate next to the bagels and cream cheese.

"Aww Bomber, you are such a good wife." Manny said smiling.

Woody came over and sat next to me, kissing me on the head. " Steph, sorry we made you cry."

"Thanks Woody, I don't know what came over me" I replied smiling at him. We were busy eating our breakfast when little Stephany and Victoria suddenly showed up, Ram stood up surprised asking what they were doing here.

"I'm sorry to barge in guys, I tried calling your room Ram, but there was no answer and I remembered hearing about the gym. Stephany wanted to see you all before you left, we can leave if it's an imposition." Victoria said to Ram and the rest of us, Ram walked to her and sat them down.

"Victoria, don't be silly, stay and please join us" speaking for all of us, knowing Ram didn't want to seem too eager.

"Stephany honey, do you want some breakfast?" I asked. She looked at her mom, "can I mommy?" she asked with a big smile.

We walked to the buffet where she chose eggs, bacon, and French toast, a girl after my own heart. I took a carton of chocolate and regular milk, not sure what she would be allowed to drink. Little Stephany chose the chocolate milk; she's a Stephany no matter how she spells it.

Ram and Victoria walked to the buffet to get something to eat, I was watching them and Woody elbowed my side. "What, they look good together." I said softly, they were perfect for each other.

"Don't get involved Stephanie," Ranger said raising an eyebrow, I shrugged my shoulders and smiled.

They came back to the table and I got busy quickly eating my food, I got up to go for more coffee asking if anyone wanted anything and Ram followed me to the coffee pots.

"Bomber, what do you think of Victoria, do you like her?" Ram asked me nervously. I turned looking at him. "Ram, she is adorable, she's very nice from what I have picked up so far." I told him honestly.

"You're good at sifting through people and their internal crap and baggage, are you picking up anything on Victoria?" He asked.

I stood still and looked up at him holding his arm. "Ram, if you're interested then tell her, we leave today. Trenton isn't that far from here, if you want to get to know her better talk to her and tell her you'd like to see her again." I told him in a sisterly way.

"You think so Steph, should I?" Ram sounded like a lost little school boy, these guys amaze me, they are so secure in their jobs, surroundings and don't let shit bother them, they pick up women left and right but when it comes to being interested in more than a one night stand, they turn into little boys.

"Listen, if you think she's worth pursuing then yeah, I think so, just remember she lost her husband and it is still fresh for her and Stephany so be careful and don't make promises, take your time, don't rush things. Don't take as long as Ranger and I did but don't jump the gun either." I replied laughing at the statement about Ranger and me.

"Bomber, you are the best, thanks for being an awesome sister, I think you're right. I will pursue her and we can take it slowly. I'll tell her that I'll call her later tonight." He replied with enthusiasm and kissed me. We walked back to the tables, Ram and I carried plates with fresh fruit for everyone and coffee for Ranger, Manny and I.

"You couldn't stop yourself could you Babe?" Ranger whispered in my ear, I turned and smiled then I kissed him. We finished eating, I told Ranger I wanted to swim for a little bit. We got up from the table and made our way upstairs to our room.

When we were in our room, I threw myself on the bed debating whether I wanted to take a nap or swim. I would rather have a nap since I was up at an ungodly hour. Ranger joined me on the bed he began kissing me I didn't hesitate kissing him back either.

One thing led to another and let's just say swimming was not in the immediate future, but who cares, I would much rather be here wrapped in the strong arms of my husband having Ranger induced orgasms. I guess I was still being punished for my very very bad behavior. Complaints weren't coming out of my mouth, kisses and moans of pleasure were front and center.

I had fallen asleep, I doubt that Ranger even closed his eyes for more than 10 minutes; how he does it I have no idea. I woke up to gentle kisses on my face and neck and strong arms holding me, seriously my bladder decides to dance now? Ughhh.

"Ranger, I have to use the bathroom, sorry but hold that position and I'll be right back." I kissed him and rolled out of bed, ran to the bathroom and did what I needed to do then went back to the cozy warm bed and crawled right back to my little spot.

We stayed curled up and talked about Ram and Victoria, this trip and both of us looking forward to seeing Julie.

"What's next on the agenda Steph?" Ranger asked nibbling my ear and making his way down to the middle of my neck and shoulder. Does he seriously think I can concentrate when he is doing that?

"Mt. Airy North Carolina, I want to stop off at the town where Andy Griffith was actually from, there is the Mayberry town that I thought we could visit. If I remember reading correctly, they are having their annual Mayberry festival this time of year."

Ranger pulled out my iPad and searched the information I put in the file I created for our trip and tossed my iPad on the bed. "Hey, that's my iPad, it's my assistant" I said reprimanding him. He pulled me on top of him and wrapped himself around me, kissing me with urgency yowza, I gladly met his kisses, straddling him, and away we went as I started singing 'time for me to fly'.

After some late morning, early afternoon fun, we put on bathing suits and took the stairs to the pool; it was empty with the exception of my Merry Men, Victoria, and Stephany. We joined everyone, Lester and Woody set up volleyball net, and we started the beginning of a few games.

I was getting a little tired so I swam over to the side of the pool. I was enjoying watching Ranger playing and having fun in the water. He was helping Stephany play volleyball by lifting her up in the air so she could hit the ball. He handed Stephany off to Ram, swam over, and joined me.

"Are you OK Babe?" Ranger asked as he sat next to me and wrapped his arm around me pulling me close to him. "Yeah, just a little tired I guess it's from the working out you've been forcing on me" laughing as I took his face in my hands and kissed him.

I received one of his many brilliant smiles, one that can light up the darkest of tunnels. I was lucky enough to be married to him. I started thinking about how sneaky I had been in getting him to agree to this trip and seeing him enjoying himself made me feel guilty.

"Steph, are you sure you're feeling OK?" he asked again with serious concern.

"Ranger, I have a confession to make. I railroaded you into taking this trip and seeing you enjoy yourself makes me feel bad, I am so sorry honey I didn't mean it. I wanted us to have a good time but wanted you to have a relaxing fun trip." I said with shame.

"I know Babe," he announced looking at me with a grin.

"What? You've known all along and you let me go on about how bad and guilt ridden I feel, YOU JERK, UGHHHH, I hate you right now" I replied yelling at him and it suddenly became quiet in the pool I started to get out of the pool but he held on to me.

"You seriously think you can pull something over on me? Think again my sneaky love; I knew you were up to something the second you agreed to the conditions I put into place after the last threat." He answered with an evil smirk on his lips. He pulled me back into the water and onto his lap and kissed me. I tried to fight the urge as much as I could but love won instead.

Ranger let out a roar of laughter that shook me and the water around us; oh, my God I love this man. "Babe, we need to get going and head on to North Carolina, we have a 4 ½ hour drive ahead of us. We'll plan on eating when we get to NC, OK?" What he was saying made sense, so I agreed.

We got out of the pool and Ranger told everyone that we were going to leave for NC in 1½ hours. I said good bye to Victoria and hugged Stephany telling her I would see her someday soon. Ram and Victoria had a sad look on their faces.

"Victoria, if you and Stephany want to stay and swim a little longer let me know and I will tell the front desk to allow you as much time as you need." Ranger told her.

"Thank you, but we'll leave when you all leave, I appreciate it though," she answered.

We took the stairs to our floor, which I didn't even mind, now there's a shocker right. We took a shower together getting ready, I put on a pair of walking shorts, and tank top, pulled my hair up and after applying light make up, I was ready to go.

Ranger carried our bag as we took the stairs again, you know that little shit, he's had me go up and down these stairs about 5 or 6 times, he's tricked me into working out, oh my gosh what a sneak.

"RANGER," I shouted and stood still, "you are such a stinker; you've had me go up and down these stairs about 5 times today, I hate you with a passion." I smacked him a few times then gave him a big slap on his ass and I jogged down the stairs.

"It took you long enough to realize." He said letting out a laugh and ran down the stairs after me.

We finally made it to the first floor and walked over to the desk to check out. The guys were waiting for us in the dining area; I joined them pouring coffee in to go cups for Ranger and me and put fruit in a bag. I watched as Ram, Victoria, and Stephany were quietly talking, I felt sad for them.

I hugged Victoria telling her to keep in touch and to definitely come and visit us in Trenton. I hugged Stephany and she hugged me so tight, it made me feel bad we were leaving, I wanted to ask them to join us, but I know that was not possible.

Everyone said their good byes and Stephany was holding hands with Ram as the three of them walked out of the hotel. Ram walked Victoria to her car, helping Stephany get buckled and watched as they pulled out of the lot. Then he walked to our car and we drove off.

"I'm sorry Ram, she's a great girl, and I have a feeling about the two of you." I said in a mellow tone. It was obvious Ram was already missing Victoria and Stephany. So we just left him to his thoughts.

"Beautiful, where to next?" Lester asked like a little boy.

"We are going to Mt. Airy, North Carolina. Do you remember The Andy Griffith Show? Well Mt. Airy is where Andy Griffith was from and it is where the Town of Mayberry was modeled after. This week is Mayberry week; I have always wanted to visit it.

As we were driving I started relaxing and Ranger was rubbing circles on my hand, which relaxed me even more, and I fell asleep. I was tired no doubt from all the exercise and stair climbing I did today. I woke up when we came to a stop to get gas. I took advantage of the stop to use the bathroom.

Ranger was waiting for me by the rest room and we walked to the car and made our way back to the highway.

"How much longer do we have?" I asked yawning.

"About 1½ hours, did you have a good nap?" Ranger asked me.

"Yes, I guess climbing all those stairs pooped me out." I replied glaring at him with a smile, it was time to check in with Trenton. We all spoke to Tank and the rest of the men and signed off.

We were talking about random things in the car and I could see Ram was texting, which I assumed, was to Victoria. I was happy for him and I hope that it works between them. Before long we pulled into this adorable small town, it was cute.

As we drove through town, the buildings on the street seemed a little familiar and it dawned on me that it was Mayberry. I asked Ranger to pull over and park the car so we could walk around town. The Mayberry festival was in full swing, we went into a little diner called Snappy Lunch and there were a couple of tables set up, a woman had one table and there was a man at the other table. The diner in the show was the exact image of this place.

The woman was none other than Ms. Betty Lynn who played Thelma Lou, Barney's love interest. The man was George Lindsay who played Goober Pyle on the show. They both had written books about their time in Mayberry, I bought one of each and asked them to autograph it and took pictures with them.

We walked around to see what else the town had to offer at the festival. They had some blue grass bands playing, a table that had various pies and pickles for sale, and all sorts of Mayberry memorabilia so I looked around at the display. I had a taste for one of the pies, they looked delicious.

I bought a blueberry pie, Manny and Lester brought us coffee and a young woman came to our table saying in her southern accent, "ya'll need me to slice up the pie, where ya'll from?" she asked.

"Trenton New Jersey, on our way to Orlando ma'am" Lester replied with charm tipping his cap. He is a sucker for an accent he really is. She smiled, sliced up our pie, and brought over some plastic forks. The pie was so good I couldn't help but moan.

We walked around and listened to the blue grass music; people were dancing and having fun. The police car was on display so we took pictures by the car. There were posters of the cast all over the place. There were people dressed up as sheriffs and women that looked like Aunt B. It was all sweet.

I began to feel a little off, not Spidey sense but a little funky so I asked if we could go and sit down inside somewhere to cool off. The weather was hot and humid. "Babe, what's wrong?" Ranger asked with worry.

"I think the heat is kicking my butt and too much blueberry pie" I replied shrugging my shoulders.

"Someone find a hotel and reserve some rooms, we're going to spend the night. Stephanie's not feeling well," Ranger ordered.

"Ranger I'm fine, it's just the heat and too much pie, honestly." I was starting to get embarrassed about eating so many sweets.

"Got it boss" Lester and Manny replied in unison. Ranger, Woody, Ram, and I stayed in the drug store at the counter where it was nice and cool. Lester and Manny returned saying that they had booked rooms and checked us in at the B&amp;B down the street. We made our way to the B&amp;B and Ranger and I went straight to our room.

I immediately headed to the bed to lay down, maybe I'm getting a cold, or I might have allergies. I remember reading that North Carolina has several variations of pollen and some people who have never had allergy issues suddenly are allergic to various trees, flowers etc.

Ranger came and laid down next to me, there was a knock on the door and Ranger yelled enter. The guys came into our room. They all had very worried looks on their faces, they asked if I was OK and I nodded yes.

Manny brought in our bag along with the fruit and bottled water putting them on the counter by the coffee pot. They sat at the table looking at me, obviously not knowing what to do. I laughed at them. "I swear you are all mother hens, I'm fine I think the heat and allergies are what's kicking my butt, I'll be fine honestly don't worry about me"

I rolled over and Ranger told the guys they were on their own. Ram said they would check in on us later on and would call and bring us some food. I felt arms wrap around me and I fell asleep.

XXX

A/N: Thanks for the reviews and comments, they are very sweet.

What do you think is going on with Stephanie?

More to come.

**SUSAN PETERS, As always, a huge thank you for all you do to the story.**


	12. Fun in NC

~ Chapter 12 ~

Fun in NC

Previously

_Manny brought in our bag along with the fruit and bottled water putting them on the counter by the coffee pot. They sat at the table looking at me, obviously not knowing what to do. I laughed at them. _

"_I swear you are all mother hens, I'm fine I think the heat and allergies are what's kicking my butt, __I'll be fine honestly don't worry about me"_

_I rolled over and Ranger told the guys they were on their own. Ram said they would check in on us later on and would call to bring us some food. _

_I felt arms wrap around me and I fell asleep._

_**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**_

It was dark when I woke up from my nap to the most beautiful smile in the entire world. Damn, I love waking up in his arms and seeing him smile.

"I love hearing the sounds you make when you're stirring and ready to wake up, they make me want to ravish you" Ranger said with one of his many sexy voices. "Aww, you sure know how to charm a girl," I replied.

"Did you have a good nap Babe?" he asked showering me with kisses. "I did, how long have I been asleep?" I asked since it seemed so late. "A couple hours, are you feeling better? Let's take a shower and go grab a bite if you're up to it."

"Hello, did you forget who you're married to, when have you known me not to eat?" I replied as I knelt on the bed with my hands on my hips. He lifted me up off the bed and carried me into the shower. We washed each other and managed to fit in some shower fun. As we were drying off, there was a knock on the door, we wrapped towels around us, and Ranger answered the door but not before making sure I was completely covered by the towel.

"Hey boss, Beautiful, how are you feeling? We are going out to eat do you want to join us." Lester informed us as he waltzed into the room.

"Babe, do you want to go out to eat or go pick up something and bring it back to the room?" Since I was feeling better, I told Ranger that I wanted to go out to eat.

"Give us 15 and we'll meet you downstairs," Ranger told Lester. I pulled my hair up in a clip, put on light make-up jeans and a t-shirt and I was ready to go with a few minutes to spare. Honestly, Ranger is rubbing off on me, because getting ready in less than 15 minutes is unheard of for me.

We left our room hand in hand Ranger was thrilled that this place didn't have an elevator which forced us to take the stairs ugh, this man is going to be the death of me with all this exercise. I really didn't mind since I was feeling much better. We met the rest of the group in the dining area and we walked to the car.

Manny was driving us and suddenly I had such a taste for Chinese food, "hey, can we find a Chinese place?" I asked.

"That's exactly where we're going Bomber," replied Woody and I was a happy camper. We arrived at the restaurant about 15 minutes later easily finding a space to park. It was a cute restaurant decorated with hanging paper lanterns, a few Chinese dragons suspended from the ceiling, and burgundy bottles that held a couple of red flowers on each table, it was a nice place.

We were shown to a table towards the back of the restaurant, we took our seats, and a server brought us hot tea and bowls of crunchy noodles to nibble on. Lester and Ram ordered appetizers for everyone; they ordered egg rolls, dumplings and crab Rangoon. Woody and Manny ordered the entrees, I really liked that the guys took control like this. They ordered Tofu and Almond Chicken, Breaded Almond Chicken, Curry Beef, Mongolian chicken and sweet sour chicken. We also requested Beef Low Mein with steamed rice and brown rice. Our server Jenny brought out our appetizers and more hot tea, which was delicious. We munched on the appetizers while Lester was the comedian for the night telling us stories that were cracking me up. Some of his stories were so funny I had tears I was laughing so hard.

Jenny brought our main course to the table, it all looked amazing and smelled delicious, if the food tasted as good as it looked and smelled, I was going to be moaning, I could just tell. Jenny put the dishes in the middle of the table and we all shared, everything I ate was wonderful, I haven't had Chinese food that good in a very long time. I ate so much food I had to unbutton my jeans, why did I wear jeans anyway, I mumbled to myself. I was trying to be discreet but Ranger caught me and gave me a raised eyebrow. I looked at him, shrugged my shoulders, and smiled innocently.

Finally our plates were cleared away and the leftovers brought back to us in boxes, Jenny asked if we were visiting and Woody said yes, so she put plates and utensils in the bags with the food in case we got hungry later on. Jenny brought us more tea, fortune cookies, and orange wedges.

Woody wanted us to read our fortunes adding in bed at the end of the saying.

I read my cookie; _**pleasure awaits you by the sea**_** in bed**. Lester read his _**you will visit an amusement park with a fun loving woman in bed.**__ Next _Ram read his**, **_**friendship turns to love**_** in bed**. Woody was next, _**you are destined for greatness in bed**__,_ Manny read his, **your heart is meant to be shared in bed** and it was time for Ranger to read his, _**your home will be blessed with children in bed**_. I looked at him, he had such an adorable smile on his face, I looked around the table, and there were four sets of eyes staring at me.

"What, why are you all staring at me, what ever happened it wasn't my fault." My Merry Men all laughed while Ranger continued looking at me sweetly. "Babe" I shrugged my shoulders and excused myself to use the restroom. I had no idea what just transpired but I was not about to question it, I finished up in the restroom and walked back to the table. I took my seat and the guys were talking about our trip so far and were laughing as they were looking at pictures. Ranger put his arm around me staring at me with a questioning look. "What?" I asked him.

"Looking at my beautiful wife Babe" he answered with a huge grin on his face and tugged at my hair.

With our bellies full, we were ready to head back to the B&amp;B. On the way we drove past a mall, called Mayberry Mall; I had to take a picture. Manny asked if we wanted to drive around town, I of course said yes. This town was adorable, so cute, and comfortable. It was not a very big town so we were done quickly. Manny drove back towards the B&amp;B, our boys had bought beer while they were out and were planning to hang out in Lester's room. Ram said he had a phone call to make and would join them after he was done.

When we arrived, Ranger and I got out of the car and headed towards the garden where there were tables and chairs with candles. We sat down on a two-person swing that had flowers intertwined around the frame, each time there was a breeze I took in the scent of the flowers. Ranger and I were swinging back and forth with his arms wrapped around me he pulled me closer to him. I was completely relaxed, without a care in the world. Ranger took my chin with his finger, lifting my head to look up at him.

"Babe, by any chance could you be pregnant?"

I looked at him in shock, "um, uh, no." He stared at me for a few seconds "are you sure, you haven't been feeling that great lately." Ranger waited for me to answer.

"I'm sure honey, would you be upset if I was?" I asked. "Absolutely not Babe, absolutely not" he replied kissing me.

We continued swinging back and forth in comfortable silence and Ranger broke that silence, "You know I meant what I said about not being upset right?

"I know Ranger, I know" replying softly assuring him as I laid my head on his shoulder while he pulled me in closer and kissing me on my head. His breathing always relaxes me and if I could have one wish, it would be to stay in his arms all day long listening to his breathing.

"Come on Babe, we need to check on our boys and head to bed." My sexy man took my hand and led me inside. We were outside Lester's room and heard laughter, Lester was cracking up, and it was nice to hear them all so relaxed. The majority of their days are so tough at work, seeing them having fun and laughing makes my heart very happy.

Ranger knocked on the door and walked in, Manny waved us in and I sat on the bed watching them laugh. "What are you laughing at?" I asked.

"Bomber, we're looking at the videos we took of you with Miles the Monster and the Dinosaurs, they are hysterical," Woody said laughing with tears running down his face.

"Are you guys making fun of me, you guys suck you know that?" I replied working into rhino mode.

"No Beautiful, we're not laughing at you or making fun of you, honest. We love the shots, they're cute really, and it's all in love not being mean." Lester answered with such sincerity that I really couldn't be mad for too long.

"Let me take a look, so help me if you're being jerks, I'll punish you in ways you can't even imagine" I told them as I walked over to the table and Ranger joined me. As I was watching the videos, I have to admit they were funny, from the fight with the biker dudes, to Les and I locked in the jail. I started laughing right along with them. Ranger laughed with us, I love seeing him like this.

"I have to admit boys, the videos are pretty funny, sorry I was a bitch about it" I replied feeling guilty.

"Men, we're calling it a night, if you're planning on drinking all that beer, no driving, am I clear?" Ranger ordered sternly.

"Sure thing boss" the men replied in unison. We walked to our room, I planted myself on the bed, and Ranger joined me, he lay on his back bringing me into his chest.

"Babe, thank you for planning this trip, regardless of how you tricked me into it, I have to admit it's been fun and the guys are having a great time too." I was surprised that he admitted he was enjoying the trip and even used the word fun.

"You're welcome, I'm glad the guys are having fun, I like seeing them laughing and relaxed. However, I especially love seeing you casual, stress free and laughing as much as you have been. It makes me happy. I can't wait until we get to the happiest place on earth." I said to my gorgeous husband and planted a big kiss on his lips.

"Ranger."

"Yeah Babe."

"Would you be happy if I were pregnant, be honest with me. I know that we have both said in the past that we were not parent material. I'm not saying I am pregnant, but I'm curious."

"Stephanie Michelle Manoso, I would be extremely happy if you were pregnant, knowing that you and I created a life and seeing our baby grow inside you. What about you?" Ranger was looking at me with those beautiful dark chocolate eyes.

"I'd be scared and worried if I would be a good mother. I would also be nervous but I think I would be happy. It's hard to really say because we're talking hypothetically, so let's not get carried away because I'm 99.9% sure that I am not pregnant and my not feeling well has to do with allergies and eating too much." He pulled me closer to him and wrapped himself around me.

"I love you Ricardo Carlos Manoso, and I always will, when we do have babies I know you will be the best daddy ever," he responded with a huge smile and kissed me. I laid there in his arms happier than I could ever have imagined and then I was out for the count.

It was 7:30 when I woke in the same position as I slept in, Ranger kissed me, "good morning sleeping beauty, I trust you slept well."

"I did, how did you sleep?" I murmured.

"Oh I slept great, having you in my arms and watching you sleep is very therapeutic for me, it always has been and I wouldn't have it any other way Babe."

I had to use the bathroom but did not want to move, it was so cozy in the Ranger cocoon but if I did not hurry up and move, well let's just not go there. Knowing me all too well, he released me so I could do my thing. I finished in the bathroom and decided to take a shower, a few minutes later my luscious man joined me. Have I mentioned how much I love our shower playtime? Well I most certainly do, it is one of my favorites, and I have many trust me.

Playtime was over so we dried off and started getting ready for the day. I applied light make-up and pulled my hair up in a ponytail. Ranger was putting our things away in our bag and soon we were ready to head out the door. My stomach made it very clear that it was starving.

Ranger turned and laughed at me, I don't know why but after all this time, I still manage to get embarrassed when the growling starts. "The beast is calling out Babe, come on let's go" and we walked out the door. I knocked on the doors of our boys as we have now started to call them and they were all awake, showered and dressed ready to head downstairs.

"Good morning my handsome boys, did you all sleep well?" They all looked at me as if my head was a chia pet growing two heads.

"Bomber, why are you so chipper it's not like you." Manny asked me with a quizzical look as well as a raised eyebrow.

"Ha ha very funny." I retorted.

We walked down the stairs and the owner of the B&amp;B was at the bottom of the stairs with a sweet smile on her face. "Well my dear guests perfect timing I was just setting up the breakfast buffet, please go on in, and enjoy, you can leave your bags behind the desk."

"That's ok ma'am we'll put them in the car" Woody replied, he and Ram grabbed the bags and loaded them in the car then joined us at the table. The breakfast buffet was phenomenal, there was French toast stuffed with cream cheese, waffles with strawberries, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, fried potatoes, grits and shrimp and of course biscuits. My first trip I was well behaved I only had French toast, fried potatoes, shrimp and grits and sausage. Even my band of men gave a surprised look at my lady like plate.

I finished everything on my plate and managed to throw in a few moans here and there and let the food settle, thinking that I would not have a need to go for a second trip. That was not the case; I was still hungry so I took more shrimp and grits, biscuits, eggs and bacon and sausage. I decided to skip the fried potatoes didn't want to go overboard.

The men all followed my example and ate without any concerns, I was glad to see that because they are usually so tough on themselves as far as their eating is concerned and Ranger putting restrictions does not help much. Surprisingly, he didn't say anything to them.

My ever so strong man of willpower asked if the owner Mrs. Hendrickson would make him an omelet and she was more than happy to accommodate him along with fresh fruit and wheat toast. He was a happy camper when she brought out his plate.

This place was nice, comfortable, and very warm and inviting it made you want to stay here all day. I think it was exactly what we all needed; Ranger and these men were relaxed it was nice to see them like this.

We sat around drinking coffee and talking about our next destination, I told everyone that Morrisville was a little over a 2-hour drive. This would get us into town around the time their spring fest was underway. There was going to be plenty of entertainment and various activities, it all sounded like a fun day.

After we finished breakfast, we were ready to leave. While Ranger was taking care of the bill, I went to use the bathroom, I finished up and as I was washing my hands I suddenly felt nauseous, I was a little dizzy and sweaty, very strange feeling. I looked in the mirror at my white pale face then rushed to the toilet and threw up not a little bit, but everything I pretty much just ate.

Mrs. Hendrickson knocked wanting to come in and check on me and saw that I was on the floor, thankfully, it was clean. She fussed over me, wet some paper towels, and put them on the back of my neck. She helped me get up and she patted my face with a cold wet paper towel, asking me if I was all right and she was worried that it was the food I assured her it was not, letting her know that I have not been feeling well the last couple of days. She sat me down in the chair until she made sure I was ok and she helped me up and walked me out to a sea of concerned faces.

"Babe, are you all right, maybe we need to take you to the hospital, and have you checked out." There was a scared look to his face while staring at me.

"No, I'll be fine, I ate way too much. I shouldn't have eaten all that food. Honestly, I'm good now." I said with a forced smile. Mrs. Hendrickson came back with a bag filled with bottles of water and fruit; she sliced up some lemons, telling me if I felt nauseous again to suck on the lemons to settle my stomach.

"Babe, are you sure you're up to the ride?" I smiled "honey, I'm fine really there is no need to worry." We walked to the car, Ranger helped me in the front passenger seat, and he was in the driver seat ready to go as soon as he finished putting the address in the GPS and we were on our way.

About 1 hour into the drive, I was feeling much better I'm thinking it was just one of those 24-hour bugs or something. I think Ranger was finally convinced because he showed me his relieved face along with a 500-watt smile.

"Feeling all right Babe?" he asked holding my hand.

"Yes, much better, I think it was one of those quick bugs" let's go have some fun in Morrisville, shall we?" I gave him one of my best smiles and we continued on our way. The traffic was so light; I could not believe how empty the roads are compared to Trenton. Geez this was nice.

We checked in with Trenton and Hal answered the phone, I was actually missing them and we haven't really been gone that long.

"Boss, how are you, have you entered the gates of the craziest place on earth yet?" Hal asked with a slight laugh. Ranger turned to me with the corners of his mouth forming into a smile.

"The happiest place on earth Hal, the happiest NOT craziest you had best remember that." I scolded him.

"OK, OK bomber, so have you entered the gates of the happiest place on earth yet?" he asked not holding back his laughter. Suddenly there were several voices; Bobby, Cal, Jr., and my sweet Hector were now in the background.

"Mi pequeño ángel, ¿cómo estás (my little Angel, how are you?) Asked my over protective brother.

"Divertirse Héctor, desear estar con nosotros," (having fun Hector, wish you were with us.)

"Están los chicos siendo buena para usted?"(Are the boys being good to you?)

"Al principio no tanto, pero mejor ahora."(At first not so much but better now.)

"You tell them they deal with me when you have returned, Estefania, got it?"

"Si mi amigo" (yes my friend) when I finished speaking with Hector, I realized we were not driving any longer, I looked around, Ranger had pulled over to the side of the road.

"Ranger, did I black out, what happened, why did you pull over, is there a cop, and is everything ok?" I looked at him, then everyone in the back, they were all sporting a shocked stare looking like fish in a bowl with mouths wide open, including my blank faced non-readable sexy man.

"WHAT, why are you all staring at me like that?" I asked with worry, thinking crap what did I do or say now for crying out loud.

"Babe, what the hell was all that between you and Hector?" I stared back at them.

"Yeah bomber, spill" asked Manny. "Bomber, come on no holding out on us" added Woody. "Shit, man this woman has been playing us all this time." Ram said laughing.

"Beautiful, I swear if I didn't already think you're sexy and hot, listening to you just then would convince me in a nano second." Lester said with a raised eyebrow.

Hector was laughing in the background; it was close to a Santa laugh, which is very unusual for him.

"Oh that, Hector has been teaching me Spanish, I was going to spring it on you one day, but I guess this was as good a time as any." I explained with a sly devilish look on my face, happier than a pig in slop that I pulled one over on everyone; boy, oh boy it was awesome. That will teach them all to underestimate me.

"Babe, you never disappoint, I'm so proud of you. Hector how much have you taught this little vixen, I owe you a bonus for that my friend."

"Boss, not necessary I enjoy teaching, Estefania is a good student she learns quickly." Hector answered.

I had the biggest and I mean biggest grin on my face, I was smiling so much my face almost hurt, so I decided a little celebration was in order. I got out of the car and did a happy dance on the side of the road; it was a combination of a football touchdown shuffle and Michael Jackson. The few cars that were on the road slowed down because we were on the side of the highway, they saw me doing my happy dance, and horns were beeping. At this moment right, here and now I had arrived at the happiest place on earth, my ego was skyrocketing.

Ranger opened the windows to the car and of course, Lester was filming, damned these smartphones anyway. Ram had already pulled his phone out and had some music playing. Everyone was so busy paying attention to me performing my happy dance, no one noticed flashing lights that suddenly appeared behind our car. Ooppps, crap this was totally my fault.

Hell, I didn't even notice, I was still strutting around and when I went to make my final turn I was face to face with a handsome Deputy Sheriff, ROT ROW Scooby. I quickly stopped as I felt my face turn 100 shades of red.

"Hi, Officer, um oh, Sheriff Barnes," I greeted sheepishly. "Ma'am we received a call about a crazy woman on the side of the highway. Care to explain what is going on?" Officer Handsome asked very professionally.

"Oh yeah, see it's like this, I pulled something over on my husband and friends which is very rare for me and I had to do a happy dance. That's all Sheriff Barnes, harmless really." I answered with a flirting smile.

Lester was still recording when a 2nd patrol car joined us except this time, he pulled over front of us and backed up to block us in, all the while, the phone was still connected and everyone in Trenton was now fully aware of what was going on.

Ranger and Ram tried to get out of the car, but the additional officers told them to remain in the car. Ranger tried to explain what was going on but they didn't want to hear it. Officer Handsome was suddenly not so handsome when he asked me to blow into a breathalyzer unit. Ranger was asked for driver's license, registration, and proof of insurance.

Yet another Deputy Sheriff now joined us, good grief don't they have anything better to do with their time? I was working hard keeping my Jersey attitude in line. I was asked for an ID so I went into my bag to get my license, he asked what we were doing in town, I explained about our trip, and that we wanted to make a stop and check out Mayberry etc.

Next thing I knew he was telling me to turn around and face the car with my hands on the car, Lester and Manny got out, and the third officer told them to hold still. Ranger got pissed and told the other officer that we all have weapons and are licensed to carry concealed, then bam all guns drawn and everyone was being told to get out of the car nice and easy, directed over to my side of the road.

Ranger told them where they could find our permits and one of the officers went and retrieved them, calling it in. I heard Tanks loud voice, yelling Ranger, what the fuck is going on and barking out orders to Hal and Hector telling them to pull up our exact location on the tracker and to call the authorities in charge of that location.

I heard sirens and looked over to see two additional patrol cars and a female got out of one of the cars, she came over to me and was told to search me. She was just about to start when a 6th car pulled over and someone came running towards us ordering everyone to stand down immediately, they all looked horrified and stopped immediately. Two very official looking men joined us, one was the Mt. Airy Chief of Police and the other was the Surry County Sheriff, they both had a lot of pins and colorful badges on their uniforms. The Sheriff told everyone to move away and that he would deal with them later.

He looked at his phone my guess was he had our pictures displayed; he went to Ranger and stood directly in front of him. "Mr. Manoso, please accept my apologies for what these plunk heads have put you through, your Trenton office called me and I spoke with your second in command. Did you explain to these clowns who you were and tell them about your credentials?"

"Sir, we all tried but they weren't paying too much attention." Ranger replied in his deadly military tone, his eyes showed the Sheriff how angry he was.

"Mr. Manoso, I called the Chief of Mt. Airy PD to join me, we were given an all clear from your government sponsors and told immediately that you were all to be released without any further incident.

The Sheriff and Chief both came over to me, by now I was shaking I was so mad and scared at the same time. I was hyperventilating Ranger came over and started rubbing my back, telling me to breath and started talking to me in Spanish, but I didn't understand a word he said, I have got to get Hector to tell me what it means.

"Todo va a estar bien mi dulce amor, relajarse y mantener la calma." (Everything will be all right my sweet love breath and stay calm.) Ranger kept repeating it until I was calm and no longer hyperventilating.

"Babe, how do you feel?" he asked with concern.

"I feel better now Ranger" I answered softly. I looked at the Sheriff and the Chief both now sporting a look of worry on their faces.

"Mrs. Manoso ma'am, are you all right, do you need medical attention?" asked the Chief in a fatherly voice. "No sir, I am fine it was a combination of fear and anger, I'm fine really."

"Ma'am, can you please explain what happened to cause all this commotion, I want to hear your point of view" asked the Sheriff.

"It's all an innocent misunderstanding really, you see, I managed to pull something over on my husband and my friends here, which is very rare for anyone to get anything past them. When I realized I managed with excellence, we were already on the side of the highway and I decided to show off by doing a happy dance over in the grass. My ego got a little carried away and didn't know when to stop."

The Sheriff and the Chief both had slight smiles on their faces and asked me to continue.

"I didn't think it would be a big deal because the highway was pretty empty only a few cars drove by and honked their horns. In the middle of my happy dance, I turned around to face Sheriff Barnes and I told him what I was doing and then he gave me a breathalyzer, next thing he's telling me to face the car with my hands placed on the car and it all went downhill from there." I explained while glaring at not so handsome Sheriff Barnes.

"I'm sorry for this entire incident, Mrs. Manoso, when one of my men saw your holster, panic set in and all reasoning and calm got lost," the Sheriff said with cold authority. The Sheriff and Chief shook our hands and while the Chief was shaking Rangers hand, he said, "Lt. Colonel Manoso your government credentials are quite impressive as well as your reputation. Thank you for your service and for being very understanding and professional about this entire situation today."

This caused the other officers to take in a breath and the female Deputy Sheriff simply said "Oh crap."

The Sheriff told the deputies to all line up, we all started to get in our car because we knew what was about to happen and we didn't want to see them being chewed out. The Chief told us to wait, that we were about to witness a southern ass chewing and spitting.

The Sheriff started out with a harsh yet calm tone, I wanted to laugh, but Ranger pinched me.

"Do you knuckleheads know who these people are; did you bother to wait for any sort of sensible explanation before you acted like you just found escaped prisoners? Barnes, why was it necessary for you to ask Mrs. Manoso to blow into the breathalyzer? Did you have any suspicion of her being intoxicated, did you smell alcohol on her breath?"

He waited glaring, "No Sir, I did not." Barnes replied.

The Sheriff went on and on about our being licensed to carry and had they bothered to check the information from the get go, it would not have led to this fiasco.

"I did not appreciate receiving an irate call from Mr. Manoso's second in command let alone the head of the Department of Defense in Washington D.C. I did not appreciate an ass chewing for your stupidity. Do you understand me?" shouted the Sheriff; yes, his tone went from harsh to shouting in 0.6 seconds.

I would say that they all got a proverbial southern ass chewing and spitting for about 15-20 minutes and the Deputy Sheriffs were ordered to apologize with sincerity or they would all be working the animal control desk for one month.

Not being able to control it any longer, I was about to let out a huge laugh that would translate into, hah, jackasses. Serves you right you pompons fools but I was stopped quickly by my loving husband who pinched even harder and stepped on my foot causing me to lose focus on laughing and concentrate on the pain of his pinch and foot pain he just inflicted on me.

The deputies all made their way over shaking our hands and apologizing profoundly how sorry they were for the embarrassment and inconvenience caused wished us safe travels and to enjoy our time in Orlando.

They all went to their patrol cars and drove off, I had no doubt what so ever that they would all receive another ass chewing later on in the day for the major ass chewing that the Sheriff received from our D.O.D. sponsor. The Chief and Sheriff apologized once again, wishing us safe travels also and got in their car and waited for us to leave. They were behind us for a short distance and then made their way off the high way.

I could no longer contain my laughter, I totally lost it as did the guys in back we all cracked up even Ranger and we heard additional laughter, we all forgot that Trenton was still connected to us and heard everything through the speakers in the car.

"Santos, no doubt you've been recording this entire escapade, send it over without any delay," barked Tank in the midst of laughter. "This will add nicely to the video that Hec is putting together of your trip. Little girl, you amaze me, how you get yourself into all this shit is beyond me but this by far exceeds all your stunts."

I couldn't help but laugh along with him, "Oh I don't know Tank, I guess I really am a shit magnet, but you're right this one is the best." I told Tank laughing.

"I can't wait to see the video little girl. Anything else boss, would you like me to call the authorities and give them all fair warning especially when you hit Morrisville? I can call the Chief over there and fore warn them.

"Not necessary Tank, Steph will guarantee no further mishaps from now until we return back to Trenton. Is that understood Stephanie Michelle?" Ranger remarked with authority. "Yes sir, understood loud and clear" and he kissed me. Tank disconnected laughing his head off.

_**xoxoxoxoxoxoxo**_

_**A/N: **__How are you enjoying the trip so far? How does Stephanie manage to attract so much trouble?_

_Spanish translations are from Google Translate._

_Thank you for your reviews on previous chapters, you are all very sweet._

_More to come, another chapter will be posted shortly__**.**_

_Main characters belong to JE, story line is original, no money is being made from this story._

_As always, __**Susan Peters**__, you are __**AWESOME**__. Thank you so much, in the midst of you not feeling well, you manage to make time to make the story pop._


	13. NC Fun continues

**~Chapter 13~**

NC Fun continues

_Previously_

_Anything else boss, would you like me to call the authorities and give then all fair warning especially when you hit Morrisville? I can call the Chief over there and fore warn them._

"_Not necessary Tank, Steph will guarantee no further mishaps from now until we return back to Trenton. Is that understood Stephanie Michelle?" Ranger remarked with authority. _

"_Yes sir, understood loud and clear" and he kissed me. Tank disconnected laughing his head off._

_**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**_

Ranger informed us we were going to stop for gas soon and I could not be happier. The entire incident had my nerves on edge and I needed to use the bathroom. Ram was texting, no doubt telling Victoria what just happened. Lester sent off the video to Hector, Woody and Manny were still laughing, saying unflipping believable only Bomber.

I turned around quickly faking rhino mode and just laughed along with them, "you gotta admit guys, this has been a blast so far. Can you imagine when we get to Disney?"

"OH LORD help us now." Manny said to the heavens causing us all to laugh.

"Babe when did you and Hector become student and teacher?" Ranger asked looking at me with his famous I'm proud of you face. "Oh I don't know I think we were on a surveillance shift some time back."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Ranger asked with curiosity.

"I wanted to wait until I was more fluent than I am now. I still have a hard time understanding people when they talk fast." I replied feeling a little embarrassed because I don't think I have learned that much yet.

"Steph, what I heard earlier was pretty damn impressive; I'll test you later on and see how well you've picked up on the language. Knowing how you absorb things you're taught, I'm sure that you have done incredibly well." Ranger said as he kissed the palm of my hand.

We arrived at a gas station; I walked towards the store to use the bathroom while Ranger was pumping gas. Manny and Ram followed me inside, never away from a watchful eye. I am used to it now so I don't even bitch or complain because it's futile. I go with the flow knowing there will always be eyes on me and a shadow, in addition a full time partner.

"Ram, you should have opted out of this trip, you're always in the middle of my mishaps as my partner this would have been a perfect time for a vacation from me." I said with a smile as we were walking back to the car.

"Bomber, nah I'm enjoying this trip, we're partners even on vacation. I'd be lonesome if I was back in Trenton. Besides, I wouldn't have met Victoria, Lester may have put his hooks into her," Ram answered sweetly with a smile.

"How are they doing?" I was curious since he hadn't really mentioned Victoria or Stephany. "They are fine, Stephany is a sweetheart. I told Victoria about what happened, she wants to see the video, and I told her I would ask your permission." I laughed telling him it was fine to send it to her.

I could not wait to see the final compilation of our trip, knowing Hector was putting it together guaranteed it would be good. We were back on the road with another hour or so to go. That little standoff screwed up our schedule. My phone rang a few minutes after I was in the car, showing a '336' area code, I figured it was a business call.

"This is Stephanie Manoso, how can I help you?" I answered the call professionally since the boss was with me.

"Stephanie, my dear this is Mrs. Hendrickson, are you all right? I heard what happened today with the Deputy Sheriffs." I was surprised she called. I forgot we had exchanged numbers; I just didn't have a chance to add it to my contact list.

"Mrs. Hendrickson, oh yes everything is fine, how did you hear about it? Please don't tell me we made the news," I asked with worry at the attention this would cause.

"No, no my dear nothing like that, one of those knuckleheads is my son and Barnes is my son-in-law, they all came in to my B&amp;B for a meeting knowing it would be quiet here. They were all pretty agitated and when I heard your names, I had to interrupt and ask what happened I was worried at first." She explained.

"Honestly, everything is fine, it was a misunderstanding, and unfortunately I was the cause of the mishap. I bet they hate me about now" I replied switching her to the speaker.

She laughed saying "them boys deserved to get a southern ass chewing and spitting by the best chewer around, plus I added a few slaps upside the head each time I walked past them" Mrs. Hendrickson replied with amusement in her voice.

"Are you feeling better my dear? I trust that your bug has run its course" asking sweetly.

"Yes I feel 100% better; I really think it was one of those 24 hr. bugs. Thank you for taking care of me I appreciate it." We chatted for a little while longer and she wished us safe travels and disconnected.

"Nothing like a southern mom smacking her boys' silly upside the head, which is probably worse punishment than the ass chewing" Woody said with an evil smirk.

We laughed as Manny chimed in, "I can just picture it now, that sweet woman walking past the boys, and pelting them with head slaps each time."

Ranger laughed and said, "yeah intentionally walking back, and forth pretending to be cleaning just so she could smack them." We laughed in unison at the vision of her doing exactly that.

We were getting closer to our exit, the traffic was congested still not as bad as New Jersey traffic. There was some sort of festival in the capital city of Raleigh and horrible construction; the roads were absolute crap POS vehicle worthy.

Our exit for Morrisville was next, we drove a few miles arriving at a parking lot that was blocked off, and some people wearing C.E.R.T. vests and hats were controlling traffic and parking. A woman walked over to Ranger's side, as she was starting to speak I started counting down, I gave it all of 3 seconds before she stood with mouth wide open looking at Ranger, the guys gave her between 6 and 8 seconds.

"Hi, can I…" yep, I won 3.5 seconds and mouth open her eyes glued to Ranger gazing at him. We all cleared our throats to get her attention and to release her from her trance. Her vest said Rose T, we told Rose that we were here for the Spring Fest and were looking for parking. She pulled out her radio and asked if there were any spots open in the lot, the person on the other end replied yes, and Rose who was still in a trance informed the person to pull the barricade and allow us to park.

Rose had a major southern accent; there were words I did not understand. She did not take her eyes off Ranger for one second. She was still staring as we drove off. We all shouted "THANK YOU Rose T" and drove to the designated parking spot.

Ranger told us to carry our permits with us and to make sure that our weapons were not exposed. "We've had enough excitement with authorities I don't want there to be any issues here, am I clear?"

Why he was staring directly at me is beyond me. "Yes Sir, boss." I answered with a salute.

Ranger took my hand and pulled me to him, "you know you're becoming a regular smart ass Stephanie Michelle Manoso," he teased and kissed my nose.

"Do you see who I work with, take a look at the men who are a bad influence on me" I teased back while pointing to my Merry Men.

"Come on boys, don't fall behind we don't want to lose track of you," I said to them laughing.

"Yes mom," they replied.

We walked to the area that Rose said was the main location for activities. They had the street blocked off with a stage on the main road where a band was set up. There were a variety of food vendors set up along the sidewalks. We could see stations for face painting and one area where they were selling homemade crafts. Off to the side was a park where fire trucks were out on display and the fire department was holding an open house. You could see police cars on display along with a K9 Unit. I thought it best to stay clear of the patrol cars.

The town looks like it has a diverse culture with people of various ethnicity. There were lots and lots of little kids running around. The weather was perfect for an outdoor event, 85 degrees with very low humidity and not a cloud in the sky.

We stopped to listen to the band that was on the stage. Lester and I were moving and dancing in place. We were dancing to Def Leopard and Bon Jovi. Ranger, Manny, Woody and Ram were standing with arms crossed at their chests watching us, no doubt to make sure Lester did not get too touchy feely.

When the band went from Bon Jovi to Ricky Martin Lester had to show off his dancing and he was trying to talk me into dancing with him. I kept saying no, but he started laying a guilt trip on me about everything he has gone through with police officers on this trip because of me. I finally gave into his guilt.

The band continued playing more of Ricky Martin especially now that we had attracted the attention of passersby and soon others were dancing. Little girls wanted to dance with Lester and he is a sucker for a cute smile and big eyes so he could not say no. The little girls were so thrilled that they were dancing with such a stud muffin. The not so little girls had their eyes glued on him as if he was dessert and they were not shy about it either.

I left Lester and walked back to Ranger. We stood watching Lester with his little fan club, we could see he was having fun and Manny was recording him. Yep I hope that gets added to the video.

Lester picked up the two little girls, one in each arm and walked them to their parents. Each of the little girls kissed him on the cheek the moms thanked Lester, while both dads were a little weary of him. Lester introduced himself to the parents and pointed over to our direction, they chatted for a little while before the men shook hands, and Lester joined us.

The beast was growling causing Ranger and Lester to laugh. We couldn't decide what we wanted so Manny and Ram said they would go and buy some of everything in order for us to share. Lester and Woody went along to help and they each took a couple vendors while Ranger and I found a table. I walked over to the fire department table, asked for plates and utensils then headed back to our table.

I sat down as Ranger got up to get drinks, bottled water, coke, and sweet tea. I was doing what I loved to do, watching people and there were plenty to watch. These folks were kind of boring, not like New Jersey, at an event like this there would be lots of wacked out people, these folks were mellow.

"Babe, how are you feeling?" asked my ever so caring husband; how I got so lucky, I have no idea.

"I am feeling great, whatever bug I had is gone thankfully," I answered kissing him on the cheek. When I finished kissing him, I looked around to see who was staring at him, but most of the people didn't seem to care although two women literally walked into the side of a table because they were too busy staring at us, well not at me anyway.

I just shook my head and laughed. We were talking when a woman with a professional looking camera walked to our table and sat down next to me. "Hi, I'm Jackie Lawson with 9 Magazine; it's a local magazine that is distributed throughout this area to residents and local businesses. I have been taking photos of this event and would like permission to use the photos I took of you and your friend dancing to print in the upcoming edition. Would you be willing to sign a release?"

I did not feel comfortable and I know that Lester would not sign a release so I decided to decline. "I'm sorry but in our line of work, we can't afford to have photos with our names attached in a local magazine, we're going to have to say no and if you wouldn't mind deleting the photos that would be appreciated."

"Miss, I won't use them if you're not signing a release," she snarled her reply.

"I understand, but I am asking you as a courtesy to please delete any and all pictures of myself and my friend dancing as well as any additional pictures where we are visible." I answered with my Burg attitude.

She started to argue with me again and Ranger took over this time. I knew exactly what was going to happen, he would say three words and she would pee in her pants and probably destroy the entire camera.

"Ms. Lawson, delete the photos NOW" Ranger growled I have no idea whether she peed in her pants or not but she certainly did not cave in at all either. "You really can't make me now can you?" was her response.

"You have two options, delete the photos, and walk away, or I destroy your camera. This is not open for negotiation." Ranger barked.

Lawson got up and walked away and Ranger followed her. When she came upon a cop she stopped to talk to her, she was pointing at Ranger and me. Ranger, the cop, and Lawson began walking back to our table.

"Hi, my name is Officer Katrina Heath; Ms. Lawson tells me there is a problem here." Officer Heath was beautiful; she had gorgeous eyes and a smile that was the equivalent of a Ranger 100 watt smile. Ranger introduced me, the guys then himself as he repeated the conversation and he admitted that he did indeed threaten to destroy her camera but that he would have reimbursed her.

Officer Heath turned her attention to Ms. Lawson and stated that since we did not grant permission and due to our line of work, whatever that maybe, that she delete all pictures that included any of us. Ms. Lawson had no choice but to comply with Officer Heath looking over her shoulder. The photos were deleted in a matter of minutes.

Ms. Lawson left with a pissy attitude and never looked back. Ranger thanked Officer Heath for her assistance. "Officer Heath, have you eaten yet, if not you are welcome to join us as you can see, my men have gone overboard with the selection of food and we have enough to feed an army."

"That is very generous of you, I could actually use a break, my feet are killing me, and I am hungry." She sat down in between Manny and Lester; everything was spread out on the table. I asked Ranger what he wanted and put some on his plate and I decided to try some of the Indian food, it was a rice and curry dish. It was excessively spicy for me, spicy food does not usually bother me, but this did.

I tried some of everything and Officer Heath looked at me laughing, "your girl likes to eat I see" she said to Ranger. He laughed agreeing with her. While we were eating, a young male officer came up behind me and asked me to step over to the side with him.

I thought crap here we go again, Officer Heath looked at the officer with curiosity, he said she is carrying. We all took out our permits slapped them on the table and Ranger began explaining when a Captain showed up wanting to know what the problem was. Officer Heath introduced us to Captain Sykes and she repeated what Ranger said. Captain Sykes took our permits, said she would be right back, and took the younger officer with her.

Officer Heath asked what type of business we were in, Manny explained and gave her a little bit of information about the publicized government contracts and she was satisfied with the explanation. Captain Sykes returned a few minutes later, handing the permits to Ranger.

"Well Colonel Manoso, it seems all your credentials are in perfect order and your government status has been verified. I ask that if you see anything objectionable while you are here, please refrain from doing what comes naturally, let us know and we will take care of it. Otherwise, enjoy your time in Morrisville."

"Well it seems you all are well connected, tell me about what all you do and please call me Katrina," Ranger told her a little more than what was explained earlier giving her a better view of our business and jobs of course there was nothing mentioned about the covert operations or missions.

"Steph, do you work with all these gorgeous men?" Katrina asked smiling.

"Yes and there are more back in Trenton." I replied proudly.

"I bet all the ladies in your building go crazy seeing good looking men all day long," she added.

"Actually Katrina, there are only two women in the Trenton office, myself and Ella our facilities manager and mother to all, she feeds us and takes care of us, as you've figured out, this sexy Cuban is my husband. Ram is my partner and the rest of these fine men are part of our leadership team, Lester is our resident Casanova. I am honored to call them my brothers and love them all dearly."

"Whaaaatttttt," said Katrina, only in the south do they draw out words, the way she said it made me laugh. "How did you all meet?" Ranger was happy to tell Katrina the story and she laughed at me being hand cuffed to the shower curtain rod.

"Steph, why didn't you just yank the rod from the wall and slip the cuffs through, I mean it was a tension rod anyway right?" I looked at her, then at Ranger back at Katrina and my Merry Men, we busted out laughing. I mean flat out roaring laughter. It caused Katrina to be a little confused while she stared at us.

"To be honest with you Katrina, this is the first time it's been mentioned. You are correct, it was a tension rod and Steph could have certainly removed it from the wall but then I would never have had the pleasure of being her hero if she had thought about it" Ranger answered with a grin.

"Ranger, you actually thought about that back then, it never even crossed my mind." I said.

"I know Babe, that's what makes it even better you were totally innocent, the fury in your eyes was a turn on, and I figured you couldn't come up with any other way to get out." With that statement, my smart-ass husband kissed me on the lips while I stared at him.

"You two are adorable, what about the rest of you men, are you all attached?" They all answered no ma'am.

"Actually, now that I think of it, none of the men are with anyone in particular, they all just date here and there. Most of our contract workers are married but out of all the men, Ranger is the only one married to lucky me" I replied.

"Whaaatttttt, all the men in the building with the exception of your sexy Cuban, are single with only two women working in the entire building. Lordy girl, what possessed you to get married when you have an entire buffet of luscious men?" Katrina asked while I chewed on my lower lip sporting a contemplating look.

"Hey now" Ranger growled at her." We haven't been married that long, don't give her any ideas where she can change her mind or else I'll be hunting you down and shipping you to a 3rd world country with only a bottle of water." Katrina laughed at his comeback.

We were enjoying our time with Katrina; I would love to have her working with us in Trenton, when I mentioned that to her, she did not poopoo the idea. I didn't see a ring on her finger but then Ranger and I do not wear our rings while we are working either. I will have to ask her later on.

Captain Sykes returned with another woman, the woman seemed a little timid, when they reached our table, the Captain introduced us to Lillian, and we all introduced ourselves to her one by one. Ranger asked them to sit down and join us.

Lester wiggled one of his eyebrows; I swear if he had a mustache, he would probably twirl the edges, like that old cartoon character Snidely Whiplash. Being the ladies' man that he is he felt it was his role to relax this woman and make her feel at ease.

"What can we do for you lovely ladies?" Oh brother, gag me with a spoon I thought to myself.

"Well," Lillian answered, "we have a fund raising project that we are working on and I was wondering if you would be willing to help us out" She stated apprehensively.

"Sure, how much do you need, we'll be happy to donate to your project after you tell us what project you're working on" Manny told her.

"The main project is a Fire and Police Department calendar, with photos for each month and we are short a few men, well to be honest some of the FD men chickened out and I need 5-6 good looking additional men and women. Would you all be interested in posing for a few shots?"

Ranger gave Lillian the same explanation as the other photographer and apologized. He did say he would make a generous contribution to the project, which we still didn't have any details. The Captain and Katrina looked at us and looked at each other as if a light bulb went on Katrina's face lit up.

"Hey, I have a great idea, how about you all wear the turn out gear, you can wear your sun glasses and helmets, and no one will recognize you at all." Katrina proposed excitedly, the Captain, who told us to call her Felecia, loved the idea, as did Lillian. Ranger, was not interested so much but Woody and Lester were game, Ram and Manny questionable.

"Lillian, what is this fund raising project?" I asked

"Well I am on the board of a group that raises money for nonprofit organizations, last year we sold cook books and this year we thought about a calendar. We already have pre-orders for 200 calendars and we haven't even finished shooting pictures yet, with your help we will be able to finish up the calendar and send it for print." She explained to us.

"All right men, this is a worthy project, I strongly suggest you participate and Miss. Lillian I'll sweeten the deal, our company will not only match the amount you raise with the calendar sales we will double it. Here is my business card, when you are done with the project, send me an email with your total, and we will mail a check. How does that sound?" This man has many ways that makes my heart happy, but his generosity is undeniably one of his greatest traits, I am so proud of him. I am even more proud to call him my Husband.

Lillian gave us all such a sweet appreciative smile, her eyes were glistening from emotion at what Ranger just announced. Felecia and Katrina smiled, they were not done with us yet, I could tell they had something else up their sleeves.

"Ranger, while you are in a generous mood, how would you like to donate to the Special Olympics. Each Law Enforcement agency throughout North Carolina participates every year, we want our department to be in the top 10, on the back of the t-shirts the top agencies are listed, oh look I happen to have some right here" Felecia said with a grin.

Ranger gave her a raised eyebrow with a grin, knowing full well he'd been played like a fiddle, he asked how much they need to raise to be in the top ten Felecia gave him the magic number and he agreed, she handed him the pledge form to complete. He looked it over and slid the form over to me to fill out the information. I was happy to do as I was told.

"Babe, do we have any checks with us?" was he delusional, why ask me that. I am certainly not the keeper of the checkbook in this relationship. "Umm, no" I answered with confusion then Felecia interjected.

"Listen, a check is not necessary. Once we submit the form; the organization will do the necessary verification and will send you a pledge notification. All I need from you is this promise to pay form to make sure the pledge is credited to the correct department."

That was easy, I filled out both forms and signed them, returning them to Felecia who got up and gave both Ranger and I hugs.

"Lawdy, but you're a big handsome man. I bet you have ladies following you to the ends of the earth." Felecia blurted out without any embarrassment what so ever. I told her that women walk into walls or trip over their own feet within seconds of spotting him.

"Felecia, Stephanie is exaggerating and I'm going to lose my badass card for saying this, Stephanie is the only woman I want following me to the ends of the earth." My Merry Men were making gagging noises, and I glared at them all.

"Aww Ranger, that is so sweet," I stood on the tips of my toes and kissed him. Katrina, Felecia, and Lillian said oh, how precious he is. Yep my badass just lost his card, sweet, precious and Ranger in the same sentence doesn't work.

"Miss Lillian please lead the way to the photo shoot and let the comedy show begin," I said laughing. We threw our things away and followed the women inside the bay area of the firehouse where everything was set up. I knew this was going to be fun, these guys, well with the exception of Lester have no idea how sexy they are so I know they're going to ham it up and try to be hot looking. Lester will not have any problems posing for these photos.

Lillian brought over the turn out gear, I told my Merry Men to go and take their shirts off, they all gave me the look of death, and I kissed them all on the cheek and pushed them away behind the screen. I was going to play the stage mom.

I called Manny out first, he put on the fire fighter pants over his jeans with one of the suspenders left to hang, and I had him hold the jacket he was easy his tattoos where on his back. He put on the sunglasses and helmet on his head, there was no way anyone would recognize him. I turned his head a little but made sure his chest and arms were totally exposed, after a few shots, Manny was finished.

Next up was Ram; I pulled the pants down a little bit and told him to get on his knees. Ram follows instructions very well, I spread his legs apart a little bit, I took an ax and held it in front of his legs, with sunglasses, and helmet on, I tilted his head slightly looking down at the ax. When that was finished, the photographer asked Ram to lean backward holding the ax and the photographer stood on a ladder, he snapped a few shots.

By this time, there were quite a few women watching this photo shoot taking their own pictures; I was having a great time. Ranger was laughing and recording the entire process. I called Woody next, again no shirt. I took the jacket and draped it over his left arm to cover up his tattoo, used the fire hose and draped it over his shoulder on the right side of his chest to cover up tattoos.

The photographer took a few shots and rolled a background screen that had a building on fire. He kept the props in place to cover the tattoos and had Woody standing with one leg on a chair. Katrina was called to join Woody; she stood with her hands on his shoulder looking up at him.

Now my problem child, Lester was going to ham this up as much as he could. I did not need to do anything with him, he was fine by himself. I used a jacket to cover up his tattoos also and as I walked away, Lester grabbed my arm pulling me back to him.

"Not so fast beautiful, you're not getting away with making us do this and not doing your part." I was glaring at him, "Lester no, I am not calendar material and besides Ranger won't let me" I replied pleading.

"Nope, not gonna work," then my Merry Men ganged up against me and started chanting, go Steph you can do it. I looked at Ranger begging for help, he smiled and did nothing, zip, nada did not budge, for the first time in our relationship, he did not save me.

"I'm not taking my shirt off I can tell you that right now" I barked at them all. I pulled my shirt up and tied it, showing a little skin and put on the turn out gear; I was holding the jacket over my shoulder, finished up the look with sunglasses and helmet while Lester held me so I was leaning into him. The next shot was of Lester carrying me bridal style with all my gear on, I was laughing at a remark Lester made about being horny, I tilted my head back and held on to my helmet, and the photographer started snapping pictures.

The photographer rolled out additional background props, with buildings on fire, and Ram posing with Felecia and then with Katrina.

There were shots of Lester alone and then came the best one yet, Manny rolling a background screen of a building and in front of the building were cars, but only one car was on fire. We all started cracking up and of course, no one else understood why we were laughing. Ram explained to the photographer briefly about my mishaps and he joined in the laughter.

Woody took me over to the prop and had me stand in front of the building so the car was visible; I kept the jacket on. It was extremely huge on me; I can just imagine how ridiculous I looked and the photographer continued taking pictures.

Katrina and Felecia were pushing Ranger to be included in the shoot, he was fighting, but he lost the battle. Felecia handed him pants and a helmet, she made him take his shirt off. Then she moved Ranger behind me holding the jacket as if he was putting it on me.

For the next shot Felecia moved me off to the side so that Ranger's beautiful chest was visible. The photographer started doing his thing, he took some shots while standing on a ladder, then he wanted some of me alone, I put on the pants and got on my knees I turned sideways a little looking at the car.

Lester brought Ranger over he was still wearing the uniform pants but no shirt. "OK boss do what you usually do in these situations" Ranger wrapped his arms around me as I leaned into his chest; I thought the photographer was going to have a coronary he was so excited.

He asked to take a group shot then another with Katrina and Felecia; the men were still without shirts. While we were standing there, crazy woman Lawson came into the bay area pissed off "Hey, Miss high and mighty, I thought you couldn't take any pictures because of your job" using finger quotes when she said job. "Are you going to make him delete his pictures too?" Katrina intervened, grabbing her by the arm escorting her out of the bay area, and told her if she did not leave, she was hauling her ass to jail.

Ranger stood in the middle with of my Merry Men and they picked me up, holding me sideways, it has been done millions of times in wedding photos with the bride and the groomsmen, clearly, this was much better.

After the photographer was satisfied he had everything he needed, we were free to go. Lester the clown decided he was going to be a salesman, he told all the ladies that there was going to be a calendar with all the photos and to pre-order pointing over to Lillian saying she will be happy to take care of them.

I shook my head and laughed at him, he was no doubt going to make sure that the calendar sales increased. I have to admit I had fun with the photo shoot.

Katrina and Felecia introduced us to other officers and the fire department personnel; they wanted to know the story behind the flaming car background, so we followed the crew inside, and they took us to the kitchen they offered us drinks and we sat down. They patiently waited for the story.

Each of my Merry Men took a turn telling a story, I did not say a word when they finished, Ranger told everyone about the garbage truck rolling over his Porsche and blowing up after it was flattened, the room was in hysterics. Then one of the police officers stood up quickly, "wait a second, are you the Bombshell Bounty Hunter from Trenton New Jersey?" Ranger and my Merry Men replied in union, "got it in one dude" and they laughed their heads off. It was priceless I had to take a picture of my boys. I was going to have that framed for my desk.

Everyone asked about Rangeman, then they turned the questioning over to me, I explained my part within the company.

"Hey Ranger, you still let your wife go out chasing skips?" asked one of the firefighters, "yep," was his one word answer of the day.

"Why?" another person asked my Merry Men replied, "Because she always gets her man."

Felecia came back and asked me to go with her to the dance stage. Ranger gave Ram a slight nod, this action is almost ESP like, only Ranageman leadership somehow possess the skill and are able to read the meaning anyone else will miss it instantly. It is something they all learned during their time with Special Forces.

Ram followed us. "Ram, Steph will be ok, no need for you to come with us if you don't want to" Felecia told him. "Captain, she's my partner." He replied in military fashion.

"Felecia, one of the things that I had to agree to at the start of Ranger and my relationship was taking my safety seriously. This entails a partner and a shadow if I am not with Ranger or Ram as well as trackers.

Felecia looked at me stunned "Steph isn't that a little suffocating?"

"Nah, at first I hated it and fought it pretty hard but now I don't even think about it. But it helps when I'm shopping; my shadows always carry the bags." We laughed as Felecia told me how funny that must look these big burly men carrying Victoria Secret and Bath and Body Works bags.

She took me over to the stage and introduced me to one of the instructors, saying that I was a great candidate for the little performance she was going to put together. "Steph, you may want to give your weapon to Ram," Felecia whispered to me. I took my holster off and gave it to Ram to hold, I had no idea what I was going to be doing.

We began the lesson, there were six of us and 45 minutes later, we were done. "Stephanie, you have a knack for this you picked it up pretty quickly" the instructor told me.

It seems that we were going to put on a belly dance demonstration. I looked at Ram for some help, he shook his head and smiled. The instructor gave each of us beautiful costumes to wear; mine was deep purple and silver. The outfit was right out of I Dream of Jeannie.

I was a nervous wreck not wanting to go out there but wise ass Felecia pushed me in front of her and I had no choice. We danced to a few songs being thankful Ram was the only one there so I thought.

At the end of the dance, I saw that Ranger, my Merry Men, and everyone from the fire station were all out in the audience. Talk about being embarrassed. I hurried off stage and we went back to change. Our instructor told us the costumes were ours to keep as a thank you for helping her out. I went back to the kitchen with Felecia to my awaiting fan club and applause. I could feel my face burning with embarrassment.

My sexy husband pulled me into him and kissed me hungrily, while everyone yelled for us to take it to a hotel.

Ranger asked about a hotel close by, Katrina said she would take us to a nice one that was about a mile from the interstate. We said goodbye and Ranger thanked everyone for their hospitality. He said if any of the officers decide they want out of local law enforcement to give him a call about employment opportunities in Trenton.

As we were heading to the car, Lillian was running telling us to hold on. She showed us all the pre-order forms; she had an additional 150 orders that will bring the total to 3840.00 dollars she was beaming with joy.

Lillian thanked everyone, hugged the men, and gave Ranger a hug and a kiss on the cheek thanking him for his generosity and she went on her merry way. We got in the car and followed Katrina to our hotel, we waved to Rose T and the men all blew her kisses which produced a beautiful smile.

Ranger went to the desk to request rooms. Manny and Lester unloaded our bags from the car and took the key cards. "Boss, we'll take the bags to the rooms and meet you in the bar," Lester said as he and Manny headed towards the elevators. We asked Katrina if she wanted to meet us after her shift, she was not able to as she still had a few more hours to the end of her shift.

"Katrina, if you ever decide you want to come and visit us, please let me know, we'll pick you up and put you up in one of the guest apartments in the building." She turned and gave me a big bright smile and said, "Oh hell yeah, with all those hunks running around I'm there." We all hugged each other, she left, and we walked to the bar.

Ram sat down and was texting, Woody sat next to me put his arm on my shoulder. "Bomber today was the best part of this trip and I mean that." I kissed him on the cheek and he blushed.

Lester and Manny joined us, we ordered a few drinks, chatted about the festival, the food, and Lester brought up the photo shoot, telling us he asked the photographer to send him all the pictures and that he ordered about 30 calendars for us.

"Oh Lucy, you have some splainin to do" Manny said with a Ricky Ricardo accent. "Ricky, it wasn't my fault." We laughed, "Since when do you know how to belly dance?" he asked.

"I just learned today, but I think I may take classes when we get home, it was very calming, and I can see it being a great work out too." Ranger leaned in and whispered in my ear, "I have plans for that costume when we get back to Trenton Babe." I laughed and replied with a sultry voice, "me too handsome, me too."

My Merry Men all complimented me on my belly dancing," Hey boss, I want to be her shadow if she takes classes." Lester said and Ranger shot that suggestion down quickly saying if anyone were going to be my shadow it would be Hector.

"What are we going to do for dinner?" I asked everyone.

"We can eat here in the hotel and maybe work out a little and swim before we have dinner," Ranger suggested and we all agreed that was a good idea, we finished our drinks and headed to our rooms to change into workout clothes and swimsuits.

"Honey, since we only have a 3 ½ hour drive to our next stop we don't have to get up super early do we?" I said with my fingers crossed.

Ranger gave me one of his exasperated looks since he is an early riser. "No Babe we don't have to if you promise that after South Carolina we drive straight through to Miami, pick up Julie and go straight to the craziest place on earth."

We got to our room which was on the top floor of the seven story hotel and I ran to the bed and threw myself onto the king size luxurious bed. "So Steph, what do you say about my suggestion I just brought up?"

I thought about it for a bit, "Yeah I don't want to push my luck since I've been feeling so much better, you're right but IT'S THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH, MANOSO, not craziest, got it?" holding his face in my hands.

I kissed him and he began taking my clothes off, "Ranger we need to change and….." I could not say anything more since his lips were now busy with mine. "I'm helping you change Babe." His kisses went on an exploration to his favorite location in the southern region of my body and I was lost in pleasure land.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

_**A/N:**_ _Did you enjoy this little stop. Sorry the chapters are so long, chapter 12 and 13 just wanted to go on and on. There will be more fun in SC and off to the craziest, oooops, the happiest place on earth._

_Stephanie is feeling better, so it appears she shook off a little bug or could there be more to it than just a bug. Hummmmm, you'll have to wait and find out._

Thanks for the positive reviews and comments, you are all very sweet.

**And last but not least, a HUGE HUGE thank you to Susan Peters for her awesome editing of the story, even though you haven't been feeling well, you still manage to pull the story together. Thank you so much.**

As always, characters belong to JE,


	14. Strawberry Hill Antics

**~Chapter 14~**

**Strawberry Hill Antics**

_**Previously**_

_I kissed him and he began taking my clothes off, "Ranger we need to change and….." I could not say anything more since his lips were now busy with mine. "I'm helping you change Babe." His kisses went on an exploration to his favorite location in the southern region of my body and I was lost in pleasure land._

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Ranger was climbing back into bed as I was slowly waking up; he insisted we all get some serious exercising done yesterday. We put in a five-mile run and swam laps in the pool, to be honest it felt good, but I am glad he let me sleep in.

"Good morning Batman, did you have to leave in the middle of the night to save the world?" I asked with a purring sound that I like to call my morning voice; apparently, it's a big turn on for my handsome husband.

"Lester, Woody, and I were out running. Did you sleep well?" He asked as he nestled himself next to me.

"I did, thank you for letting me sleep in." I said appreciatively. We showered, dressed, and walked to the elevators. Woody and Ram took the bags from us and loaded them in the car. We ate breakfast and headed to South Carolina.

Since this was going to be our last stop, I was determined to make it fun. I was scrolling through some yahoo articles when I ran across a sign that read 'Welcome to Bat Cave, NC' surely, this could not be real. I researched, and sure enough, it actually existed. I didn't want to tell anyone where we were going to go.

I wanted to drive, but the men gave me a big fat NO. After some arguing, I was allowed to drive. Nevertheless, I had to agree to not to do any roadside happy dances. They are all a bunch of smart asses so when they weren't looking I put in the directions for our slight detour.

We checked in with Trenton, "Boss, anything I should be concerned about?" Tank said the minute he answered the phone.

"Negative." Ranger told him.

"Boss, very impressive no incidents in the last 24 hours" said Tank in the midst of laughing.

"Give it time man, give it time, we'll be on the road for 3 ½ hours." I slapped Ranger on his arm while giving him my burg look.

I knew I was going to be in a shitload of trouble when they realized I had hijacked them. Two and half hours later, the GPS announced you have arrived at Bat Cave, North Carolina. Ranger turned to look at me in total shock while Lester and Woody were serenading us with the Batman theme song.

"Wifey, where the hell are we?" Manny sounded perplexed.

"I'm glad you asked. We are in Bat Cave, North Carolina." I was trying so hard not to smile.

The Merry Men were laughing; Ranger was blank faced with the side of his lips tipped. I could see he was trying to stop himself from smiling. I got out of the car and the men followed me. I grabbed Ranger by the hand and asked one of the guys to take pictures of us by the sign; we took a bunch of pictures.

While were driving through the little town I started telling them what I read about the town.

"Bat Cave is an unincorporated community in Henderson County, North Carolina. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The community is located along Lake Lure Highway northeast of Hendersonville, along the banks of the Broad River. Lake Lure is where they filmed Dirty Dancing.

The community named after the nearby cave is inhabited by several species of bats, on Blue Rock, Mountain (sometimes referred as Bat Cave Mountain). It is the largest known granite fissure cave in North America and is a protected area, not open to the public. It has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names. The community is served by an all-volunteer fire department and has a bimonthly community paper called "The Bat Biz."

It didn't take us long to drive through town, it seemed like a cute little town. I drove us over to Lake Lure to see the hotel where Dirty Dancing was filmed and that was it, we were done. I walked back to the car, the keys were taken away from me, and Manny got behind the wheel. "Stephanie, you are a passenger for the duration of this trip, no more hijacking the car." I gave him a glare. "Yeah, yeah, yeah."

"Hey Batman, you have to admit it was pretty cool to see 'Welcome to Bat Cave' and it surprised the hell out of you didn't it?" I did one of those touchdown jigs and giggled.

"Get in the damn car smart ass." Ranger ordered as he pulled me to him, smacking my ass pretty hard I might add. Moments later, we were back on the highway and on our way to Strawberry Hill, South Carolina.

"Hey guys, a bit of a history question for you, why is there a North and South Carolina?" It was so quiet you could hear crickets. Ranger said something about the revolutionary war; Lester mumbled something about not being able to make up their minds.

"Ah Ha, well let me enlighten you. In 1710, after nearly two years of the Carolina territory living virtually ungoverned, the Proprietors appointed Edward Hyde as the governor of North Carolina, rather than the government of Carolina. In 1729, North and South Carolina were officially recognized as separate royal colonies until the Revolutionary War."

"Thank you madam tour guide" Lester and Ram blurted out in laughter. As soon as we arrived at our destination my stomach started singing a chorus of hallelujah, Ranger and my band of Merry Men started laughing at me.

"What?"

"Nothing Bomber" the men replied singing.

"It's been four hours since we ate, it's normal to be hungry." I grumbled.

"Babe you would never survive in the wilderness."

"Yeah I would at least for one day smart ass and besides if you were with me, you would make sure I survived." Ranger helped me out of the car while I was reading about the farm. It was family owned and operated; originally, it was a cotton farm in the 1900's but became a family owned farm in 1946. The family who owns it is named Cooley, they looked like a very nice family.

I stopped at the various fruit stands and bought peaches, strawberries, blueberries and other seasonal fruit. Ranger loves fresh fruit and I have been craving it lately. The store also carried jars of honey, preserves, jams and butters all made right here on the farm. We had room for the fruit but I arranged for the jars to be shipped back home.

I walked over to the café where the men were waiting for me. I was so hungry, everything on the menu looked delicious, and I was craving everything.

The server brought us fresh lemonade then took our order. I ordered buttermilk pancakes as well as French toast, with sausage, bacon and fried potatoes. Ranger ordered a club sandwich, the guys ordered burgers and sandwiches. I got up to use the restroom and when I was walking back to our table, I saw my men surrounded by women I heard flirtatious giggles and laughter.

"Hello," I greeted the women who were ogling my men.

"Hi there" they replied, some had a southern accent.

"I'm Stephanie, are you ladies a part of the farm?" I asked out of curiosity but I certainly didn't like the fact that these women were hitting on my men.

"No we're spending the day here on a sort of retreat, I'm Susan by the way." Susan introduced the rest of the women, "we have Martha, Claudette, Christina, and Natalie."

"It's nice to meet you ladies, let me introduce you to these fine gentlemen. This is MY HUSBAND Carlos; this is Manny, Lester, Ram, and Woody" the guys nodded and said hello. "So tell us about this retreat."

I was curious by the way they were sizing up Ranger and my Merry Men. It obviously was not a ladies bible study group.

"We are amateur authors; we write and publish on a website called Fan Fiction. We write our version of Janet Evanovich series," explained Susan.

"Ya'll remind us of one of her books about a security company that is owned by a sexy man with hunky employees, in addition to security they do undercover work." Natalie said with her Southern accent.

"Some of us are writers and the rest are avid readers, Susan here is one of the editors. She edits the stories, she can make simple words pop she's the bomb," added Christina, who was adorable with a sweet face, every time Woody looked at her she would blush it was so cute.

"So what are you doing here then?" asked Woody.

"We met each other through a Facebook group and Fanfiction so we decided to get together and celebrate the fictional sexy business man's birthday."

"Who is the writer here?" asked Lester.

"Oh that'd be me." Natalie raised her hand smiling at Lester.

"Natalie, describe your writing style," Lester inquired.

"Well currently, I am writing about the business owner who has been in love with a woman but she changed teams and now he's trying to start over. He was devastated that anyone would do that since he finds himself sexy and quite a catch."

"Is it romance, mystery, killing, or what?" I asked her.

"Well, this story so far is about this man Rick who goes from one woman to another and drinks to get over the love of his life and the women are for his pleasure only, until he meets a woman who sparks an interest" replied Natalie. While Martha added her explanation, "I would say her writing style is sexy romance."

"So this guy is trying to get over the love of his life by going from woman to woman in a drunken stupor and goes through all sorts of sexual escapades until one catches his eye and he nails her. Does he give her his heart?" Lester rambled.

"Eventually he does," Natalie added.

"Yeah but he's getting ready to go undercover and he's got his mind set on some kinky shit" added Susan. Martha was laughing at what Susan just said, while Christina was blushing, oh my gosh she is so cute.

"I would like to know more about your writing style and where you get your research for the material," Lester said to Natalie, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Anytime Lester, I hope you don't get too embarrassed, you're not shy are you?" Natalie asked.

OK this woman was not skipping a beat or being in the least bit shy. I asked if the women wanted to join us but they all said no since they had already eaten.

Our food was brought to the table and the ladies stood up saying they were going outside to enjoy their ice cream. They went to pick up their order and I noticed Christina had a huge waffle cone ice cream, she's a tiny thing, I bet she doesn't have to unbutton her pants after eating one of those.

"Oh Lester, we'll be right there if ya'll are interested in joining us" Natalie said pointing to the picnic area as she wiggled her eyebrows and said "toodles."

Ranger's order came with fries; I was eating my food and nibbling on his fries. I managed to polish those off along with my pancakes and French toast. It was all very good. I even tasted a bit of Rangers club sandwich. Ten to fifteen minutes later nausea was flooding my body and not long after that, I was making a mad dash to the bathroom that turned into a full-blown throwing up with Ranger at my heels.

"Babe again?"

"Oh Ranger, I ate way too much why did you let me order all that food?" I asked him in between the hurling.

"One, how is this my fault, two you wouldn't have listened to me even if I tried to stop you." He reluctantly reminded me.

"Honey, I'm sorry it's not your fault and you're right I probably wouldn't have listened anyway." He continued putting wet paper towels on the back of my neck and one of the farm family members came to the bathroom asking if I was all right. She was concerned it was the food and she apologized all over the place until Ranger interrupted her.

"Ma'am it's not the food, my wife has been fighting a bug on and off the last few days. Please don't worry, the food was delicious." After a few minutes, she left saying if we needed anything to let her know. I washed my face and put my hair in a ponytail and Ranger walked me back to our table to find four adorable faces of concern staring at me until I assured them I was fine.

"Boss, you want us to find a hotel for the night?" Ram asked.

"Yeah, I think that's best, thanks." Ram and Woody walked to the gift shop and asked about hotels. The woman who came into the bathroom joined us at the table.

"Hi, I'm Tammy, listen I am not going to recommend a hotel; there is a perfectly good guest house right here on the farm. I would like for all of you to be our guests for the night. It's not being used and please I insist you stay the night, your wife isn't feeling well, and I feel bad she's sick." After a verbal tennis match between Tammy and Ranger, he agreed.

Tammy took us to a beautiful four-bedroom ranch style house; each room had its own private bathroom. She said it was built specifically for family and friends who come to Strawberry Hill to visit the farm and for the holidays. It was cozy and warm, I can just picture the house decorated for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Ram and Woody left to go bring the bags from the car. Tammy said our purchases were ready if we wanted to put them in the car now or wait until morning. I told the guys it was up to them. Ranger and I went to our room and I plopped down on the bed hoping this was all due to my overdoing it with eating. There was a knock on the door; it was Tammy carrying a tray of fresh fruit and water with orange and lemon slices floating.

"I brought you some fruit and water with a few sprigs of peppermint; this will help settle your stomach."

"Thank you so much Tammy, we appreciate your kindness and hospitality" Ranger said to our hostess. "

Lester and the guys all came to our room still sporting worried faces.

"Beautiful are you feeling better?"

"Yes Les, not 100% but a little better."

"Bomber, we packed the fruit in the truck, you don't need to worry about anything" said Ram. My Merry Men are the best in the world.

"Wifey, there's a nice back porch why don't you and Ranger come out there with us." Manny offered.

"That sounds nice Hubs." Ranger and I followed Manny to the back porch to a view that was right out of Country Living magazine. Cows were grazing in the field while some were lying around under the trees in the shade. There were horses, goats and a little pond, it looked so peaceful.

Ram was texting with Victoria, Woody and Lester declared they were going to meet up with the writer women and Manny was going to lay low. Ram, Manny, Ranger, and I enjoyed a relaxing evening on the porch, in spite of the mishaps; I hope this has been a great trip for my Merry Men.

"Hey guys, besides the misunderstandings that have happened on this trip have you at least enjoyed getting away from work and just relaxing?" I asked.

"Wifey, to be honest this has been a good trip so far, it's been relaxing and low pressure but just trying to keep you safe is a stress zone all on its own." Manny was smirking at me.

"Bomber, I agree it has been relaxing in spite of the incidents. It's all been good." Ram added

"Ranger what about you?" I hoped he was enjoying himself.

"Babe, I have to admit it has been relaxing with the exception of you being sick and the mishaps, I am glad you planned this trip." He was holding my hand and he gave it a squeeze.

"I think this is something we should do for the staff twice a year, not all the way to Disney but ending it here in South Carolina. You, four different men, and me. I think they would enjoy it."

"We can talk about it later Babe, let's just get this trip over with before you railroad me into another one." I smacked my smartass husband on the arm while Ram and Manny snickered at me.

Lester called to tell us he and Woody were going to hang out with the women for a while. Ranger told them to behave and to stay out of trouble. We were sounding more and more like their parents.

I was feeling much better, the fruit, and water really helped. I was not hungry but the fruit settled my stomach. The sun began to set and the sky was a mix of orange, and blue. The peacefulness was calming and serene. I sat back in the rocking chair watching the day turn into night. We very rarely have the ability or the time to see the beauty of the night so I was enjoying this moment.

While sitting in the rocking chair, I thought back years and years ago to when the original Mr. and Mrs. Farmer would have been doing the exact same thing after a long hard day tending the farm. This was so different from the fast pace of Trenton, this right here is something every city person should experience. Rocking back and forth was making me sleepy and soon I fell asleep. I woke up a little bit when Ranger was carrying me to our room but as soon as my head hit the pillow I was out for the night. The only thing I managed to do was give him a kiss goodnight.

I woke up in the morning in a t-shirt and nothing else; I have no idea when Ranger took my clothes off sleeping straight through it all.

"How are you feeling Babe?" He asked me with his hand on my tummy.

"I'm better, please don't let me eat that much food again," I begged.

"Ugh" Ranger growled as he went to take a shower. "Hey wait for me" I got up quickly taking my shirt off joining my sexy man. As soon as we finished getting dressed there was a knock on the door, I opened it to Ram and Manny.

"Good morning guys."

"Morning Bomber, are you feeling better?" asked Ram.

"I am and I told Ranger not to let me eat that much food again." They laughed because Ranger grunted again and they took our bags to the car to load them in the rooftop carrier.

"Ranger, I feel bad that Tammy insisted we stay here, we should do something to thank her."

"I agree Babe, do you happen to have paper, and an envelope in that suitcase you call a bag?" I pulled everything out of my bag as Ranger was staring wide-eyed at the contents. I handed him an envelope and a post it note.

"What no kitchen sink?" he snickered as he took out a large amount of cash and stuffed it in the envelope and wrote a short thank you note leaving it on the dresser. We joined the guys at the café and as I sat down, I noticed Lester was missing.

"Where is Lester?" directing my attention to Woody, who grinned an evil grin.

"Oh he's on his way Bomber." He snickered.

"What did you all do last night?" I asked Woody.

"Santos and I joined the ladies at a local bar for a few drinks. Christina and the ladies dropped me off here and they went to their hotel.

"What happened to Lester?" I asked worried.

"Oh you know that he's a man whore" Woody replied.

"WHAT?" Ranger and I both responded loudly. Tammy came over to the table to ask how I was feeling and if we slept well.

"Oh Tammy, we sat on the back porch it was so peaceful, I fell asleep in the rocking chair." I told her honestly.

"Good I am glad to hear you were able to relax, you look like your bug is over with."

"Yes I feel much better, it's all my husband's fault for letting me each too much." I laughed as I kissed him while he growled at me.

"Tammy, thank you again for your hospitality we appreciate it. We left you a little note on the dresser of our room." Ranger added.

"Now what do you feel like eating?" Tammy asked.

"My wife and I will have cheese omelets and fruit with toast." The guys ordered pancakes, French toast with sausage and bacon. Woody was telling us about the evening with the women.

"So the ladies were telling us about some of the stories they like to read, Susan, Martha and Claudette were the sweetest ladies I've ever met. Christina is a doll. She is so cute, funny, sweet, and so shy. If she wasn't so much younger than me, I would date her." Woody was rambling on it seems he was quite taken by the ladies.

I saw Ranger sending a text to Lester asking where the hell he was, I could see he was getting pissed.

"Santos better have a good explanation for his absence," Ranger said with authority. Everyone was getting irritated because you don't go off on your own without letting someone know. "Manny if he's not here in five minutes, text Tank, and have Lester's phone tracked" Ranger ordered.

"Yes boss."

I was looking out the window when I saw Lester get out of a car walk over to the driver and kiss her.

"Well lookee lookee here" I said, he then proceeded to do the walk of shame through the café. "Who the hell was he with?" I asked Woody, as she drove off; I saw whom he spent the night with.

"He spent the night with that Natalie chick?" I said with shock in my voice.

"Yep" Woody replied laughing.

"She's not his type; he likes a tight ass and eye candy. He is such a slut," I mumbled to myself. Don't get me wrong Natalie is an attractive lady but I know how he likes his women. Lester sat down and we all stared at him waiting for an explanation.

After about five minutes, he sang like a canary. "I needed my battery charged and she had exactly what I needed.

We continued staring at him.

"It all started innocently at the bar, all flirty and then she whispered the magic words in my ear and I was a goner."

We were still staring at Lester in deadly silence.

"So we were dancing, she reached up to my ear and whispered, 'I want to take you home and rip your clothes off. ' And she took me home and proceeded to do exactly that and the rest is for your imagination." Lester actually sounded proud of his accomplishments.

Manny smacked Lester upside the head, "Jackass."

"Lester you did see the wedding ring on her finger right?" I asked.

"Uh, um, oh wow, nope." The look of panic on his face was priceless.

Woody told him to keep going, "Anyhow she's pretty kinky and I can tell you that she has toys, lots of them a pretty large variety that she's collected over the years and we experimented with quite a few."

Ranger slammed his hand on the table to get control of the conversation. "Enough, Santos do not pull another stunt like that again through the duration of this trip understood?"

"Yes Boss."

Ranger was in no way finished with his speech.

"You know damn well you don't take off ever without telling someone on your team where the hell you are going." Dad was lecturing his errant son.

"Yeah but boss." Lester tried to explain.

"No buts Santos, this isn't Trenton on your off days. This is a trip with the team consider it a working trip. Therefore, work rules are to be followed. Do I make myself clear?"

Ranger was mad with an angry look on his face.

"Yes sir" Lester answered with embarrassment since he knew he blew protocol.

"That goes for the rest of you men, no running rampant because a woman is hot all over you." The guys all answered "yes sir" Lester couldn't leave well enough alone.

"Ranger, it's all well and good for you to say, you've got your wife with you to…."

"Santos, shut your damn mouth before I kick your fucking ass all the way to Florida," barked Ranger while I glared at Lester for saying that and what he was leading to. Ram was the one to slap Lester upside the head. "You're an ass Santos."

Our food arrived and we ate in silence. Lester knew we were all pissed at him for pulling a stupid stunt like that and I was fuming for him making that comment about Ranger and I, oh, he was going to get his ass kicked before we leave this farm.

We finished breakfast and Ranger took care of the bill while we headed out to the car.

"Santos you ride in the back and get some sleep, I don't trust you to drive when all you've had is kinky sex and no sleep" growled Ranger.

Before we got in the truck I told Lester to come with me, we walked to the picnic area. I pulled one of my kick boxing moves; I punched him in the stomach and then did a fancy roundabout move, one that he had taught me. I turned my back, spun around, and kicked him in the chest.

"Don't ever say anything about Ranger and I like that again asswipe." I took off walking to the car and he ran after me taking my arm and pulling me towards him.

"I'm sorry Beautiful; I didn't mean it that way." He pleaded. "Lester shut up before I kick your ass all over this state," I pulled away from him and walked to the car.

Ranger was going to drive; I got in the front and buckled up, "No more stops until Miami with the exception of bathroom breaks. We'll be on the road for eleven hours. Babe, if you start to feel sick let me know ok?" Concern clearly written on his face.

"Will do honey." I hoped there would be no need to stop for me to get sick.

We had been driving for about two hours when Trenton called, it was Hal. "Patching in a call for you from a Miss Tammy," then a brief silence.

"Go ahead ma'am Mr. Manoso is on the line" Hal instructed.

"Mr. and Mrs. Manoso I just opened up your note and that was not necessary." Tammy sweetly scolded us.

"Tammy, we appreciated your hospitality and for generously offering the house to us." Ranger replied.

"Mr. Manoso, I am going to mail it back to you, it was my pleasure to have you all as our guests."

"Tammy, in our line of work which at times is connected to the government, we are not allowed to accept extravagant gifts. Using the house is considered extravagant; it wouldn't look good if we were ever audited." I added all though the rule did not apply in this case, she didn't need to know anything different.

"OK fine, thank you again, safe travels and please come back and visit us again." Tammy said sweetly.

"We will thanks again." I replied and disconnected the call.

"Extravagant gifts, pretty sneaky Wifey," Manny questioned.

"Well the government does have that rule in place, so I didn't really lie." I answered smirking.

I turned to see what Lester was doing and noticed he was sound asleep. I think he felt bad that he pulled his sexcapade last night. He will probably be a little on the quiet side through this drive. Serves him right, he knows better than to take off on his own like that. Anything could have happened. Sometimes he really can be a dumbass.

Everyone was pretty quiet, Lester was sleeping, Ram and Woody were listening to their music, and Manny was also sleeping. I smiled watching my Merry Men relaxed not in guard mode. Ranger took my hand and kissed my palm.

"Our boys are all calm and quiet," I informed him laughing.

"How are you feeling Babe?" Asking with concern

"Good, getting tired but feeling better." I answered back looking at his beautiful face.

"Why don't you take a nap then?" Ranger took my hand and rubbed circles with his thumb.

"No honey, I want to keep you company" I leaned over and kissed him, moving the seat back a little and relaxed to the classical music playing and my eyes started getting heavy. I tried fighting sleep but it was a losing battle and sleep must have won because it was about two hours later Ranger when was waking me up.

"Hello sleeping beauty did you have a good rest?"

"Yes, I'm sorry I tried to stay awake and keep you company." I said as I kissed him on the cheek.

"No worries Babe, obviously you needed the rest" he answered as he kissed me back.

We were at a restaurant and I was still a little groggy. The guys went inside to get a table while I was trying to wake up. After a few minutes, the grogginess was gone and Ranger was helping me get out of the car but before I was completely out, I kissed him with as much passion as I had.

"What was that for?" Ranger asked.

"Oh no reason" I answered as he lifted me out of the car and we walked to the restaurant.

Women were staring at Ranger the way you would look at a sexy man walking into a place naked. There was a particular group of women seated at a table. They were about the same age as Grandma Mazur. They were all wearing red hats and purple dresses. They were gawking at Ranger. He looked at them giving them a nod and a 500-watt smile acknowledging them with a one word greeting "ladies." I told him I was going to the bathroom. When I was walking back to our table, I saw Ranger sitting at the table; with the women, I could not help but smile. What a softie he is I thought to myself as I continued smiling.

"Sweetie, be a dear and take some pictures of us with this gorgeous man" one of the women asked handing me her iPhone.

"Oh of course, I'd be happy to." I took the phone and began taking pictures in various poses. I told them all to stand up and surround Ranger, they were more than happy to comply. They did the funniest thing. One of the women sat on his lap while the others all surrounded him kissing his cheeks and head. He was turning every shade of red imaginable, and it was priceless. I had to take a picture of that one with my phone.

The lady sitting on his lap noticed his wedding ring, "honey, why on earth would your wife ever let you out of the house alone?" she asked tapping the ring.

"Ladies my wife keeps me on a tight leash, she's right there," Ranger told them as he pointed to me.

"Oh my dear keep your eyes on him at all times," I laughed at what she said.

"I keep my eyes on him every second of the day because he's gorgeous but I trust him 200% believe me." I reassured her.

"That's all well and good but there are plenty of hussies out there," added another woman while the rest nodded in agreement.

"Ladies, this is the only woman I will ever need or want. The good Lord hasn't made one that even comes close." Ranger told them looking at me with a 500-watt smile. The ladies all oohed and aahed over that comment saying how sweet and adorable he was.

I walked over to Ranger and stood by his chair, one of the women looked at the two of us and stared at me intently, and with all seriousness and honesty, she blurts out. "You are an adorable couple and that little baby of yours will be a beautiful combination of you both."

Ranger and I looked at each other; while he was grinning, I was stunned. "Oh I'm not pregnant."

"Honey, I am never wrong about these things trust me on that" the ladies all clapped and said Amen and agreed with her saying yep she is never wrong. I didn't know what to say or do so I just stood closer to Ranger hoping he would help me out, he just sat and grinned.

The server brought the women their check and Ranger took it from her. After a few minutes of arguing with him, he gave them a glare and they froze instantly, after they thawed out, they agreed and left a bunch of cash for the tip.

Ranger stood up as did the women; they each kissed him on the cheek and hugged me. The woman who talked to me about being pregnant handed me a business card, put her hands on my shoulders. "My sweet girl, trust what I told you, email me when you have confirmation." I smiled and played along with her, I have been around Grandma Mazur too long to take everything women their age say too seriously. I gave her my business card, they thanked Ranger and wished us luck and walked out the door arm in arm.

The business card said 'The Red Hat Society' Dorothy Turner, Chapter President was printed on the card along with email, phone number and website, which I will check out. I want to know more about this Red Hat Society. Maybe something that Grandma Mazur could get involved in.

Ranger looked at me as he held my hand tighter, "Babe?" I knew what he was thinking.

"Oh I don't believe it for one second; you know how they are at that age."

We finally sat at our table and Manny looked at us with curiosity and asked "what was all that about?"

"Oh they fell in love with Ranger; you know how women get when he walks into a room." I replied laughing. I could not wait to send the pictures to Hector.

Ranger looked like he was concentrating on a major problem, "a penny for your thoughts." I asked.

"Nothing Babe, just thinking about what Dorothy said."

"Oh Ranger, what does she know, she's a sweet little old lady who has zillions of random thoughts running through her head." I answered offering a suitable explanation. At least it sounded plausible to me.

I wanted to change the subject as I picked up my menu. "Now what is everyone going to eat because I'm famished."

"Don't get carried away Steph, let me order for you" I gave him a look then remembered that I made him promise to keep my eating under control. "Fine, go ahead."

He ordered baked chicken, grilled vegetables with a side salad, for himself he ordered salmon, grilled asparagus also with a side salad. The rest of the guys all ordered something healthy. Our server brought us water and a basket of rolls with butter. Ranger took a roll buttered it for me and put it on my plate.

Lester announced he had something he wanted to talk to us about.

"Boss, Stephanie, I am really sorry about the comment I made this morning regarding the two of you. It was totally out of line." I looked at Lester and smiled at him.

"Never ever make a comment like that again." Ranger growled at Lester.

"Listen guys, I'm sorry about taking off with Natalie like that. I know it was totally against protocol. I wasn't thinking with my brain." We all stared at him. "Yeah, my zipper took hold of my senses, it won't happen again."

Our salads were brought to the table and a few minutes later our dinner was served. It looked very boring, I would have much rather had a burger and fries. I suddenly had a craving for a glass of cold milk, very odd.

"Excuse me, can I have a large glass of milk please," I asked our server and I was met with five sets of eyeballs staring at me.

"Babe." He had the single eyebrow raised and a thoughtful look on his face.

"What, I like milk" I snarled. They all looked at me in disbelief and started on their dinner. After a few bites, the chicken did not taste so bad. I managed to polish of my entire plate. Ranger ordered a large peach cobbler for all of us to share. He sure is taking my request to ensure I don't go too overboard with my food seriously.

"Honey, how much longer before we arrive in Miami?" I inquired between bites.

"We should arrive around 10:30 – 11:00pm why?" Ranger responded.

"Won't that be too late to pick up Julie?" I asked.

"Yeah, we can spend the night in the Rangeman building and pick her up in the morning." That sounded good to me.

After finishing our meal, Lester called Rangeman Miami telling them our plans and I called Julie telling her we would pick her up in the morning. After the necessary arrangements were made I stopped off at the bathroom before we walked back to the car. Lester slid into the driver seat with Ranger and me in the very back. Ram was texting back and forth with Victoria, Woody was watching a movie on my iPad, and Manny and Lester were discussing his sexcapade. I could only hear bits and pieces like wild toys, whipped cream with chocolate syrup and of being tied up. "Ranger, can you hear what Lester is saying about his evening?" I whispered in his ear.

"No Babe and I don't want to know."

"From what I did pick up it's probably good that I didn't hear everything." I said laughing as he kissed me and I put my head on his shoulder.

"Steph, do you think you could be pregnant?" Ranger asked me quietly.

"No, I'm not" I answered sharply.

"But have you had a regular cycle? I ask because you're usually extremely difficult during your cycle and you've been pretty mellow." I thought back about the last couple of months.

"The last couple of cycles were light so that's why I haven't shown any evil tendencies."

"What exactly does light mean?" He asked with all seriousness.

"Ranger, are you worried because it's not what you want right now?" I asked staring at him.

"No Stephanie, that's not the case at all and you know it." He replied agitated as he glared at me.

"Then why do you keep asking me?" I shouted

Lester looked startled as he watched from the rear view mirror while the rest of the guys turned around and looked at us. They all quickly went back to what they were doing when Ranger and I shot them a glare.

"Babe, would it be so bad if you were? I'm asking because I hope you are although we haven't really talked about it."

I was stunned at that comment; we had not discussed it before. However, truthfully we had a few oops moments before we got married but that is as close as we have come. I sat quietly not knowing how to respond and afraid I would yell at him. Ranger pulled me closer to him and kissed my nose. I don't know why I melt when he kisses my nose but I do.

"Honey, I'm sorry I shouted at you. How about this, when we get to Disney I will get a couple of kits and we can take the test and if it is positive I will make an appointment with the doctor when we get home. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good to me Babe" he put his hands on my stomach and kissed me; I closed my eyes thinking about the possibility and fell asleep.

I was having such a sweet dream. I was in a park at some sort of picnic sitting on a blanket. There were kids playing around me; they were running and laughing with a dog. One of the little ones was running calling out 'mommy mommy', I was smiling at the little one. I awoke suddenly when the car came to a screeching stop.

"What happened, what's going on?" I asked with panic.

"There's a multi vehicle accident ahead" Ranger replied.

We pulled over to the side of the road; Manny called 911 while the rest of us got out to help. Two cars were involved, a sedan and a SUV. The car had three young guys and the SUV a family of five. Les took out the emergency bag with all the lifesaving equipment.

Woody, Ram, and I took the family, while Ranger and Lester took care of the other car. I grabbed the two little kids and the older one to take back to our car; I laid tarps on the side of the road to set up a triage area. I began with head to toe assessments on the kids and they were fine, shook up and scared but no medical issues. I put the little ones in the middle row and the older boy in the passenger seat.

Manny placed reflectors on the road and began directing traffic until all the gawking had stopped. Then he went to help Ranger and Lester. The woman was complaining of pain and Woody was carrying the driver to the tarps. The woman was hysterical wanting to know about her kids, I assured her the kids were fine. I walked over to the other car, the three boys were hurt pretty badly, and the all too familiar smell of gasoline was overpowering.

"Ranger, get the guys out of the car now and move away it's going to blow," I shouted. After a struggle with getting them out of the car, the three were carried to the tarps knowing that was not a good idea. When you are unsure if there night be any internal damage or spinal injuries you should immobilize until EMS arrive but we had no choice.

Again, knowing this scene very well, I was counting and as soon as I got to ten, boom the car blew up and pieces were flying all over the place. We covered everyone with our bodies to avoid further damage from the flying debris. We could finally hear the sirens approaching.

I walked back to our car and the little ones dove at me. I sat in between the two of them and wrapped my arms around them. After a few minutes, they settled down, stopped crying, and fell asleep. I asked the older boy if he was ok and he said yes.

"What's your name?" I asked the older boy.

"Tommy, they are my brother and sister, Maddie and Stevie," he answered.

"Tommy, can you tell me what happened?" I asked.

"We were driving and the other car was driving on our side with the front of their car looking at us. Dad kept blowing the horn but they didn't stop and they drove into our car." You could tell he was fighting the tears.

"Tommy, what are your parents' names?" I asked him.

"My mom is Sylvia and my dad is Tommy Sr."

What a sweet boy. "Ok Tommy, you stay here and keep an eye on Maddie and Stevie and I will be back ok."

Ranger, Lester and Manny were performing CPR on the three kids. Ram was wrapping Ace bandages around Sylvia saying she had broken ribs and Woody was taking care of Tommy Sr.

"Tommy, Sylvia the kids are fine. Maddie and Stevie are sleeping and Tommy Jr. is watching them, he's fine too."

The police cars arrived; the fire trucks stopped and the fire fighters did their thing and pulled out the hose to take care of the car. The EMS crews were checking on Sylvia and Tommy Sr. the men were giving them their reports on what procedures had been performed on the victims. I told EMS there was three kids in our car and that two more ambulances had showed up. I told one of the police officers what Tommy Jr. mentioned to me and I went back to the SUV as the EMT crews were carrying out Maddie and Stevie along with Tommy. They put them all in the back of the ambulances.

Ranger told Tommy Sr. and Sylvia that we would unload the suitcases from their car and load it into ours and we would see them at the hospital. He told the police officer we were going to follow the ambulances to the hospital.

The Battalion Chief walked over to us and introduced himself, "your quick thinking no doubt saved the lives of the three young men, and you all helped the family. Are you emergency responders?" He asked and Ranger answered him.

"No former military, special forces, we're used to this." The Chief shook hands with everyone thanking us for our help and our service to our Country. I told them that all the thanks for serving go to the men, not me.

I told Ranger I was going with the kids in the ambulance and we all took off for the hospital, the kids were a little scared and started to get agitated. I sat on the floor of the ambulance, held their hands, and sang the Flintstones and the Jetsons theme songs. OK so I don't know nursery rhymes, hey I did the best I could.

Arriving at the hospital everyone was taken into the ER to be examined. The three younger men were in bad shape. We sat in the waiting room while Manny called Trenton to let them know what happened as did Lester with the Miami office.

We were sitting in the waiting room when Woody and Ram came back with coffee for everyone and the police officers thanked us for helping. One of the officers was talking to Ranger about business and then he sat down to finish their reports. A few hours later, the nurse came over telling us that the children were fine and doing well. Tommy Sr. was being taped up because the airbag bruised his ribs and would be out soon. Sylvia was going to have to stay the night.

Tommy Sr. came to the waiting room with his kids. Maddie and Stevie ran over to me and I hugged them and put them in the seats on each side of me. Tommy Sr. and Jr. were with Ranger. The waiting room started to fill with other people. They no doubt were the parents of the three in the sedan and spoke with the police officers. They headed over our way and thanked us for helping their boys and for saving their lives. Ranger and the Merry Men hate being in the center of attention especially in situations like this.

Ranger and Tommy Sr. were talking about where they were headed and it turns out that they were heading to Miami for the week and now they were going to lose their reservation because they did not guarantee late arrival with the hotel.

"Tommy, no worries we have a place for you to stay in Miami, we are only staying in Miami for one night and will go on our way to Disney, use the house to recoup and enjoy Miami" after going back and forth Tommy Sr. agreed.

Ranger arranged with the housekeeping staff to prepare the safe house and Miami had already been provided with the info for the pertinent background check that no doubt was being completed right this moment. Ranger trusts a very small circle outside Rangeman and for him to do this for the family is yet another one of the many aspects of my man of mystery that I love and adore.

Tommy Sr. and the kids were going to spend the night at the hospital. They were going to have a family suite and Sylvia would be released tomorrow and recoup in a very nice Miami home on the beach. We followed Tommy to the room to wait for Sylvia making sure they were fine before leaving. We talked with the kids for a little bit. Maddie and Stevie were all over me, giggling, and hugging me. It made my heart all gooey.

Sylvia was wheeled into her room and helped into the bed; she looked so tired and weak. I felt bad for her. We talked a little bit and I saw she was getting sleepy so I said good-bye and Ranger gave Tommy Sr. his business card telling him that one of his men would be picking them up from the hospital and taking them to the beach house, if they needed anything to call him.

We finally arrived in Miami; Ranger and I went straight up to the penthouse while the guys went to the guest apartments. I was about to fall asleep in the elevator. We were absolutely drained both mentally and physically. Ranger and I took a shower and crawled into bed, there was no fooling around tonight for either one of us.

Oh, don't get me wrong I am sure if I started in on him, he would be ready and his awesome manhood would be standing at attention ready to serve. Not me, no way I could handle anything, helping at the accident wore me out.

"Ranger, tomorrow we will be on our way to the happiest place on earth, are you as excited as I am?" I asked him like a giddy child. "Oh yeah Babe, I am so looking forward to the craziest place on earth."

"HAPPIEST PLACE RANGER, when will you get that straight?" With that, I rolled into his waiting arms and kissed him good night and bam, I was out for the count.

_**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**_

_**A/N: Yeah yeah, it is a long chapter, but with the other side of my brain going on vacation, it had to worthy waiting for the next chapter.**_

_**So, Lester was a bad bad boy, you can blame Natalie for getting him in trouble, her hormones got the best of her and his zipper got the best of him. Hormones and Zippers are always a recipe for trouble.**_

_**What do you think about what Dorothy said to Stephanie, could she be right or just a crazy thought?**_

_**Susan Peters, as always, you are AWESOME. Enjoy your vacation.**_

_**Thank you all for your awesome reviews, you are all very very kind, you make writing this story fun.**_

_**OK, characters belong to JE but not the new characters that are introduced throughout the story.**_


	15. The Happiest Place on Earth

Chapter 15,

Happiest Place on Earth

Previously

"_Ranger, tomorrow we will be on our way to the happiest place on earth, are you as excited as I am?" I asked him like a giddy child. "Oh yeah Babe, I am so looking forward to the craziest place on earth."_

"_HAPPIEST PLACE RANGER, when will you get that straight?" With that, I rolled into his waiting arms and kissed him good night and bam, I was out for the count._

_xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo_

After a long and stressful night from the accident as well as the drive, we were all exhausted; surprisingly I woke up before Ranger, which is extremely rare. I guess it was the excitement of Disney; yeah I am still a kid at heart. I quietly rolled out of bed because my bladder was screaming for relief. I started the shower figuring I'd let my awesome husband sleep since he rarely sleeps late. I was shampooing my hair and singing away in the shower when Ranger snuck in quietly and scared the crap out of me.

"OK, turn around slowly. Who are you and what have you done with my wife?" Holding two fingers on my back as if he had a gun, I turned around and he was grinning from ear to ear.

"Ranger, what are you doing?" I asked laughing

"Babe, you're in such a chipper mood this morning. I thought for sure someone else snuck into the shower. I love this happy side of you first thing in the morning."

"I'm excited about going to the Happiest Place on Earth, that's all." I told him as I wrapped my arms around his neck. Kissing and sexual merriment was about to take place and I was even happier.

Of course Ranger finished getting ready before I did. While I finished doing my hair and dressing, he called Julie to tell her we would be picking her up shortly and then we'd go to breakfast. Ranger checked in on the family from last night's accident and confirmed that someone from the Miami office would pick them up from the hospital and take them to the beach safe house.

Later we arrived at Rachel and Ron's house to get Julie. We stayed for a few minutes chatting and then set off on our way to Disney.

"Oh Babe, I canceled the reservations that you had made." Ranger informed me.

"Why, where are we staying, it's not like the hotels are that easy to get." I said kind of ticked off.

"No worries, we're staying at the Four Seasons Resort, you'll love it. The exclusive property sits on a large lake built a little over a year ago. We have a 9 bedroom suite, you will be happy trust me."

"Are you sure?" I was given a glare with a raised eyebrow. Taking a deep breath I told myself to trust him to make sure we were comfortable.

A short while later we stopped at a Cracker Barrel for breakfast. Julie and I ate like two little pigs. We shared our food and I was in heaven with all the food I was consuming. I was stuffed so I did behave and stopped eating once the beast was satisfied. We made a stop in the bathroom and then walked outside to find Ranger and the Merry Men sitting in the rocking chairs, they looked cute. We piled in the car, Ranger and I sat in the last two back seats, with Julie, Ram and Woody in the middle leaving Manny and Lester to drive.

"It's great to have another girl in the car with me Jules, being around all these men has been driving me insane." I blurted out and Julie turned around laughing.

"Babe you've done nothing but cause mayhem and chaos on this trip and we have been driving you insane, seriously?" Mr. Badass replied with a snarky tone and smile on his face. I stuck my tongue out at him and he reached over and quickly put his mouth to mine and sucked my tongue. Boy, was this a huge turn on. We came up for air when Julie and the guys began making gagging noises.

"Don't you guys ever stop, good grief where do you get that insatiable appetite from?" Lester barked from the front.

"Are they always like this?" Julie asked like a typical embarrassed teenager. Ranger and I just laughed and I moved into his arms.

"Babe, do you want to stop off at a drug store soon and pick up the test kits we talked about?" My badass husband whispered in my ear.

"Yeah, we can do that; don't say anything to Julie or anyone else ok?" I whispered back to him and he kissed my forehead in acknowledgement.

"Have I told you lately how much I love you Batman?" I asked kissing him on his adorable nose. "I'll never get tired of hearing it Wonder Woman." We laughed as a chorus of OH BROTHER rang out in the car. We had 2 hours to go and I not only needed to use the bathroom again, but my stomach was growling also.

"Can we stop off at a drug store so I can grab some snacks, I'm a little hungry."

"Whatever your heart desires Beautiful." Lester replied as he eyeballed me in the rear view mirror with a smile on his face.

Lester pulled into a strip mall with a drug store, bakery, couple of restaurants and a grocery store. I quickly got out of the car and ran into the drug store to use the bathroom. Julie was right behind me. We used the bathroom and picked up candy bars, chips and drinks. I was trying to dodge Julie because I didn't want her to see what else I was going to buy.

"Hey Jules, go to the bakery and grab something sweet we can eat besides the candy bars." She stood looking at me with confusion, "look Julie this stays between us, but I need to buy something else no one is to know, your dad knows and that's it. Promise me you'll stay quiet about it ok?" She nodded her understanding.

I found the aisle where the kits were located and looked at the variety of pregnancy tests staring back at me. "Whew, there are so many how am I supposed to know which one to buy?" I mumbled to myself, at least I thought it was to myself. Julie stood staring at me with a smile and open mouth.

"Let's ask the pharmacist." Julie replied taking my hand and walking to the pharmacist counter.

"Um, I need some help choosing a pregnancy test, there's so many I have no idea which one to buy." I asked embarrassed. The pharmacist came back to the aisle with us, "I want two different ones you know just to make sure."

"These brands are the best and provide the most accurate results." The pharmacist explained taking them off the shelf. We walked back to the counter and she rang up our items. As we were walking out, Julie pulled my arm and we came to a stop.

"Steph, seriously you might be preggers, have you guys been planning this, what did dad say, is he happy?" Julie was rambling on and on.

"Honey, I haven't been feeling that great lately so your dad and I thought I should take a couple of tests and when we get back to Trenton I'll make an appointment with my doctor to be sure." I explained to her.

She was grinning and a little emotional, "I guess you like the idea huh Jules?" I asked her smiling.

"Heck yeah Steph, if you're preggers, I want to come and live in Trenton so I can help you." She was dead serious.

I stood in shock and felt a few tears trickle down my face. "Julie, that's so sweet but let's make sure we're 200% accurate ok?"

"Ok, what did dad say?" She asked with curiosity.

"He's pretty happy about the possibility. Come on, let's go hit the bakery, remember mums the word." I took her hand led her to the bakery. I looked at the car to let Ranger know where we were going, he stood leaning against the car, arms crossed at his chest and feet crossed smiling and shaking his head.

We strolled over to the bakery, the smell was absolutely delicious. We chose a variety of cupcakes, cookies and pastries. I ordered coffee for everyone and we walked out with smiles on our faces. As we got close to the car, Ranger was shaking his head at the both of us.

"What in the world did you buy? Letting you two loose is dangerous." He said with raised eyebrow and a smirk.

"DAD." Julie answered back kissing him and hopped into the car, there is no denying the love she has for her father.

Ram had been texting back and forth with Victoria. There is definitely something serious brewing there and it makes me happy for them. Lester was also getting texts, not sure from whom though. Each time one of us asked if it was work related his only answer was its personal. My guess, it was feisty Natalie who was texting him. I don't know what she was saying but he'd turn red every so often or have a wolfish grin on his face.

We were enjoying a nice relaxing drive with light traffic, perfect weather and beautiful blue skies. Julie and I were busy working on word search puzzles, the guys were busy talking about random things and we stuffed our faces on the goodies we bought well Julie and I did. The guys were not that interested and of course we know that Ranger won't let anything other than bark and twigs inside the temple. It's going to be a blast having Julie with us, we both enjoy food.

I couldn't stop yawning, so I put my head on Rangers' shoulder and dozed off. When I woke we were pulling into the hotel lot. Man it was absolutely gorgeous, if the outside of the building is this beautiful, I can only imagine the inside.

We pulled up to the entrance and were greeted by a doorman or whatever they are called. Manny got out of the car and told him that we didn't need any assistance. While the guys unloaded our bags, Ranger, Julie and I walked inside the lobby. I tried not to look like a tourist, I checked out this place on line and it is pretty exclusive, catering to the hoity toity and I didn't want to look like I didn't belong.

Ranger walked to the desk to check in, the clerk entered our names in the computer and his eyes lit up, "Welcome to the Four Seasons Mr. Manoso" he walked from behind the desk and shook Ranger's hand. "Mr. Manoso, would you and your party please follow me and have a seat, our concierge will be with you shortly to take care of you." We followed the clerk and sat down then we were joined by two men.

"Mr. Manoso, welcome to the Four Seasons, my name is Gerald Honeycutt. I am the General Manager, this is Thomas Martin your concierge, he will be available for you during your stay as well as myself, please do not hesitate to contact either of us." He informed our party.

Thomas escorted us to the elevator, put a card key in the slot and when the doors opened we were at the door to our suite. We walked inside and I was in awe of this place. I casually walked around while Julie was beyond excited. The guys were nonchalant and Ranger, well he is never impressed with this kind of thing. He is most definitely a man who enjoys the best things in life and that made me wonder what he is doing with me.

Thomas gave Ranger all the pertinent information about our suite, apparently we had our own staff and butler service assigned specifically to our suite. He assured us that this floor can only be accessed by our card keys. Ranger declined the butler service and as Thomas was walking to the door to leave Manny followed him.

"Thomas, I'd like to get a list of the staff assigned to the suite, I'll come downstairs with you for the names We'd like to have background checks performed, I'm sure you understand." Manny said.

"Of course sir, follow me please." Our concierge answered with clear understanding.

I was going from room to room; this was by far the most gorgeous hotel I've ever seen. Not that I'm a world traveler but it was amazing. The top floor consisted of two nine bedroom suites. I guess the entire floor could be turned into one humongous suite if needed. I couldn't find out the price for the suite and I've learned not to even try to ask Ranger about the cost of things because the only answer I get is 'no price remember'. This lifestyle still is very foreign to me and I don't think I'll ever fully get used to it no matter how hard I try.

Manny came back upstairs with a list of names and began his search on each staff member. The rest of us unpacked our bags and settled into our rooms. The master bedroom was huge, our view was of the beautiful lake which was breath taking. The suite included a large living room, dining room, a small kitchen, a seating area and a family/den. All rooms had French doors that opened to one long balcony with tables and chairs.

"Ranger, why do we need all this, I mean really, we won't be spending that much time in the hotel. The happiest place on earth is going to keep us pretty busy don't you think?" I asked him.

"Babe," said my man of so many words, I guess he told me. I kissed him and finished unpacking.

"Ranger, I have a complaint to make about this suite, it doesn't have a washer and dryer." He threw a pillow at me. I laughed and joined him on the bed and cuddled up next to him.

"Honey, you spoil me way too much you know that?" I told him as I kissed him.

"I love spoiling you Babe and I always will." He answered sweetly. I cuddled closer to him and nibbled on his neck.

"Ranger, you want only the best of the best in everything, so what in the world are you doing with me?"

"Babe, you are the best of the best and don't ever forget that." He answered lifting my head and kissed me with such passion.

We were lying on the bed talking when Julie walked into our room and jumped on our bed. It made my heart happy to see her and Ranger together. I love this man with all my heart and want nothing but every bit of happiness for him and being with his daughter makes him very happy.

"Hey dad, I know about the possibility of Steph being preggers. I promise not to say anything to the guys, but you will tell me the results no matter what right?" Julie asked looking at the both of us. I couldn't help but smile watching them.

"Julie, of course we will share the news with you, how do you feel about it?" Ranger replied and Julie's face lit up.

"I am thrilled at being a big sister; I mean I love my brother and sister. I know that I'll love my Manoso brother or sister just as much. I already told Steph, if you guys are gonna have a baby I want to move to Trenton to help. I think I am old enough to make my own decision as to where I want to live." Julie replied as serious as can be.

Ranger and I looked at each other and I saw his eyes glistening, he has such control that he even holds back his tears but I saw them, there was so much love and pride in his face.

"Sweetheart, we can talk about that later, let's just take one step at a time ok?" He responded smiling.

"Ok dad" and she kissed us both and jumped off the bed running back to her room. I looked at Ranger and he was grinning.

"Honey, how do you feel about what Jules just suggested?" I asked him smiling back at him.

"Babe, I would have to talk to our lawyer. Rachel and Ron will have the final say. Like I said, let's take one step at a time." He answered kissing me and we laid on the bed relaxing.

We decided to hang out at the hotel and go to dinner at one of the restaurants on the property, which was fine by me since I was feeling a little tired. I wanted to go swimming before dinner anyway. Ranger, Manny and Lester had a little business to take care of so Julie, Woody, Ram and I went to the pool. We were relaxing at the pool when Ranger, Lester and Manny joined us.

"Hi Babe, are you hungry?" My attentive husband asked kissing me. "Actually I am, let's go eat." I stood up when he helped me up off the lounger. Ranger told everyone we were all going to have lunch and we headed to the outdoor patio.

After a scrumptious lunch Ranger, Julie and I took a walk around the large lake. Ranger and Julie were holding hands so I held back a little bit to take a picture of them walking hand in hand. It was the sweetest thing I've seen and I knew he would realize I wasn't with them so I waited as he turned his head I snapped a picture it was the two of them holding hands with Ranger's head turned back to look at me as they were walking. I ran to catch up to them taking Rangers hand and we continued walking without saying anything, we enjoyed the walk and headed back to the hotel.

We walked inside the hotel and who do I spot in the lobby, Natalie, Susan, Christina, Martha and Claudette with another woman at the registration desk. "Oh Lester, look who's here," I announced while glaring at him.

"Oh shit" was his answer and he walked over to the women. They talked for a little while and came over to us and introduced us to their friend Darla, an attractive woman with long dark hair. Apparently she lives in the Orlando area and they decided to visit their friend.

"Hi y'all we decided to visit our friend Darla and thought we'd surprise y'all, hope you don't mind." Said Natalie with her Deep South accent.

I said hello as I was watching Christina, she was red faced because Woody was watching her, she is so sweet. "Hope you enjoy your stay ladies. Honey, I'm a little tired so I'm going to our room." I said good bye. Ranger and Julie followed me.

Manny and Ram said they were going to stay with Lester so he didn't pull another MIA. I laughed and continued on to the elevator.

"Who the heck was that?" Julie asked as soon as the elevator doors closed. I explained who they were and where we met them. She rolled her eyes and it was burg worthy. I couldn't have been prouder of Julie's eye roll if she was my own child.

We walked into our room and we all sat in the family room/den. I showed Ranger and Julie the pictures I took while on our walk. "Hey Steph, can you air drop those pics to me?" She asked.

"Air what?" I asked confused.

She looked at me exasperated, "seriously you don't know what air drop is, oh give me your phone I'll show you." She took my phone and set up my air drop and poof she had the pictures just like that.

"Wow Jules, thanks for showing me, it's pretty cool." I loved learning new things on this smart phone and who better to learn from than a teenybopper. Julie laughed at me and kissed me on the cheek, she sat down with her head on my shoulder staring at the picture of her and Ranger with him looking back at me.

"Honey, I'm going to the bathroom so I think it's a good time to take the test, what do you think?" I asked looking at my handsome husband. He quickly got up and took my hand and walked me to the bathroom.

"Um Ranger, I can do this, I'll let you know when I start the test ok?" I said pushing him out of the bathroom, I felt bad about the sad look on his face. So I did what I needed to do and yelled for Ranger to set the timer for 3 minutes. I washed my hands and walked out the door to my sad faced husband waiting patiently.

We sat on the bed and Julie joined us as we anxiously waited for the alarm to go off. It was the longest 3 minutes of my life. The alarm chimed, I stood up slowly and we stared at each other as I walked towards the bathroom. Ranger and Julie were right behind me. I gave the box to Julie to tell us what the lines meant. "1 line negative, double line positive" Julie said smiling.

"Ranger, I'm too nervous you read the results." He took the stick from me, I looked at his face and he had a huge 10,000 watt smile on his face.

"Well is that a positive?" I asked watching as the smile reached his eyes and they were dancing with joy.

"Babe."

"Ranger, are you sure. Did you read it correctly?" I asked in shock.

"Babe, it's not that hard to read double lines on the stick." He replied throwing the stick in the sink and picking me up twirling me around. Julie was jumping up and down screaming. Ranger put me down and wrapped his arms around Julie and me.

"Steph, are you ok?" Ranger asked concerned.

"Honey, I'm fine, it's just such a shock I need some time to absorb it all. I don't want to get too excited until I've had a proper exam by my doctor but I am fine I promise." I replied hugging him tightly.

"OK then how about tomorrow morning you take the second test to at least be sure. If that's a positive as soon as we get home we'll have Bobby run a blood test then we'll make an appointment with your doctor." Ranger said kissing me on my forehead.

"That is a great plan Ranger. Jules, remember this stays between the three of us got it?"

"Yes ma'am, I promise." Julie replied sweetly. "Ma'am" what the heck. I'm going to have a little talk with her about calling me that. The three of us sat on the bed in silence and looked at each other smiling. I was still in shock over the test results.

I moved to the top of the bed and decided to lie down. Ranger and Julie both joined me. It felt strange to think that I am pregnant and having my step daughter curled on the bed with us realizing I've never felt more loved than right now.

I woke up alone stretching and purring like a kitten, went to the bathroom and saw the stick in the sink and it dawned on me I was pregnant. I grabbed the stick and ran out of the bathroom into the dining room where Ranger and Julie were playing cards.

"Ranger, Julie, I'm pregnant, I'm pregnant, I'm pregnant" I said excitedly and out of breath with a big smile on my face. I looked at two adorable faces smiling at me and the tears trickled down my face. Ranger pulled me into him and sat me on his lap, "Ranger, I'm pregnant, we're going to be parents, I'm going to be a roly-poly, do you believe it, Julie what do you think, are you guys happy, we're having a baby."

My little family stared at me laughing and I couldn't help but laugh hysterically at the thought of me being pregnant, as we were laughing, the guys walked in the door and Lester was being his usual nosy self.

"What's up Beautiful, Jules, you're all having fun without us, what's going on?" Lester asked looking at us suspiciously.

"Nothing Lester, just telling Dad and Steph about some of the goofy kids in school." Julie answered quickly, that's my girl. This gave me enough time to hide the test stick in Ranger's pocket,

"Santos, what did you do with your groupies?" Ranger asked.

"Nothing boss, I told them we're going to dinner. They're doing their own thing. They may go to a club later on and Natalie said she'd call me."

"Lester, you do realize she's a married woman right?" I snarled.

"Beautiful, I'm not the one doing the chasing now am I? If she's ok with it then so am I, that's between her and her husband." Lester replied waggling his eyebrows at me.

"Dinner reservations are in two hours, dress appropriately, we're having dinner at Capa, a rooftop restaurant here in the hotel." Ranger said as he took my hand and led me to our bedroom.

I laid down on the bed in my thinking position, "what are you thinking about Babe?" Ranger asked lying down facing me and rubbing my stomach gently. I turned my head to face him as he was smiling while he rubbed my belly, he brought a smile to my face.

"I'm thinking about us having a baby, are you happy Ranger?" I asked wondering.

"Babe, there have only been a few occasions when I've been truly happy, the day Julie was born, the day I met you, our wedding day and now today. So yes I am truly happy. Come on let's go take a shower and get ready for dinner."

My sexy husband carried me into the shower which was huge. It was the size of the bedroom in my old apartment. He started by washing my hair, I swear this man has magic fingers; he rinsed my hair then applied conditioner. He worked the loofah sponge all over my body and then it was my turn. I moved him towards the bench and made him sit down. I sat on his lap washing and conditioning his hair. I used the sponge on his chest and back. I got up and finished the rest of his beautiful body.

He sat on the bench again and put me back on his lap, kissing me as if he hasn't seen me in weeks. There were Batman induced orgasms and other tender moments happening between us. We finished our bath time fun then he held the soft robe open for me and wrapped it around me. He wrapped the towel below his waist showing his perfectly straight thin hair line from his belly button down to the land of all that is pleasurable.

I fiddled with my hair and it actually cooperated. I chose to wear an ankle length halter dress with 2" heel sandals and I was ready to go. Ranger wore a pair of tan linen pants and a white shirt with a pair of Armani deck shoes, he looked delicious.

We walked out to the living room. My gorgeous Merry Men whistled as I came into the room. Julie looked beautiful in her colorful long sleeveless V-neck dress, her hair loose, she really favored her dad. I am so glad she's here with us.

We took the elevator to a beautiful outdoor seating area with comfortable chairs and couches. The rooftop also had a bar with white lights in trees and candles on the tables. It was breathtaking. The hostess stood staring at us with her mouth open, ok so she wasn't staring at Julie or I. Ranger and the guys were holding her interest, she didn't budge. I cleared my throat but she ignored me, the second Ranger cleared his throat she was suddenly at attention. After our hostess came out of her trance, she showed us to a table set up in a corner with a beautiful view, we all got situated. "Steph does this happen all the time when you guys go somewhere, you know women freezing in place when they see dad and the guys?" Julie asked laughing.

"Oh yeah sweetie, every single time we go anywhere, women fall over themselves, shove their boobs in your dads face, it gets really old." I replied, and then Julie and I started cracking up.

"Julie, don't let her fool you, men continually gawk and lust after Stephanie. The only reason no one makes any moves is because we are always with her. Watch what happens when she takes a trip to the bathroom." Manny interjected.

Capa is a beautiful rooftop Spanish-style steakhouse restaurant specializing in premier cuts of meat and seafood. Everything on the menu looked delicious. We ordered a variety of appetizers, the guys ordered beer, and Ranger ordered wine while Julie and I were stuck with virgin drinks. I was told by my ever cautious husband that until I get confirmation from my doctor, alcohol and caffeine are off limits.

"Excuse me lady and gentlemen, I need to use the rest room" I said with my best burg manners,

"Well there's a shocker" my Merry Men replied in stereo, as I stood up I saw Manny nudge Julie and I smiled and asked the hostess to direct me to the restroom. On my way back to our table, I noticed eyes on me, I felt very self-conscience and quickly walked to the table. I sat down noticing Julie and Ranger were smirking, "told ya Julie, our girl gets her share of lookie loos from the men, they'd have to be blind not to." Manny and Lester blurted out.

After appetizers, dinner and an awesome dessert, I was stuffed out of my mind. Good thing I was wearing a dress and not jeans because the buttons would have popped off right about now. We sat at the table and talked for a little while. Lester received a text from Natalie saying they were going to a club close to the hotel asking if we would like to join them, Natalie told him it was a family friendly club.

Lester googled the club on his phone, he told us that kids from age 12-18 are allowed until 11:30 as long as they are accompanied by their parents. Ranger agreed that we'd meet them for a few drinks, we left and headed to the club. Julie was excited that she was going to a grown up club. We took the elevator to the lobby. Manny and Lester brought the truck around to the entrance and we all got in the car.

"Ram, I want you glued to Julie. Eyes on her at all times, understood?" Ranger ordered. "Understood loud and clear boss." Ram answered.

"Dad, come on." Julie grunted. "Julie, it's not open for discussion." Ranger replied.

"It's ok Julie, you can be my date, and I'll even dance." Ram assured Julie.

"The rest of you men, I do not want a repeat of the last time you hooked up with these women, understood." Ranger growled at the men.

"Yes boss" they replied.

Julie was looking at us with confusion, "What happened the last time Steph?" she asked.

I laughed saying I would tell her later. We arrived at the club and the ladies were waiting for us. We got out of the car and waited for Manny and Lester to park. Ranger spoke with the bouncer and we were told to go inside along with Natalie and her friends.

The club was nice, there were kids of various ages inside, and Julie took Ram by the hand and led him to the dance floor. Woody and Christina were dancing and the rest of us sat at a table, talking. I loved watching Julie having fun and enjoying herself. She danced with her dad and the guys, and my sweet step daughter was having the time of her life.

I thought I was going to die laughing, as we were sitting talking, a boy a little older than Julie came over asking her to dance. The look on Rangers face was absolutely hysterical it was a mixture of anger, shock, pride and fear. He sat straight up as did the rest of the guys; the poor boy looked scared out of his mind. We were quickly joined by a man who was laughing at the site in front of him.

"Hi, I'm Brian Wellingford and this is my son Alex. He's been working up the nerve to ask this young lady to dance." Ranger stood up and they shook hands. I was laughing quietly and rubbed Rangers arm until he felt somewhat relaxed.

"Hi Alex, I'm Julie it's great to meet you." My heart was very happy, Ranger, not so much but he was starting to relax.

"Julie, would you like to dance with me?" then he looked at his dad for approval. "Dad, Steph can I?" Julie asked I looked at Ranger who reluctantly said yes.

We introduced ourselves to Brian who still laughing said, "I know how you feel, I have a 16 year old daughter, I totally understand."

Ranger asked him to join us. Brian went back to their table, he and his wife walked over to their daughter pointing to where they were moving to. We watched the kids dance and Ram did not take his eyes off Julie, it was so sweet.

The DJ announced that there was 15 minutes left for the younger guests to enjoy themselves. Julie and Alex finished dancing making their way to us, both with a disappointed look on their faces. They were rambling on about hanging out again, Julie asked Alex for the number of where they were staying and that she would call him.

Ranger gave her a blank stare with his raised eyebrow, I smiled and we decided to go back to the hotel. Lester, Woody and Manny were going to stay with the ladies. Lester was dancing with Natalie, "ok girls you take care of my boys and make sure that no one and I mean NO ONE goes missing tonight. They are to return to the hotel and on that note, good night and enjoy yourselves."

Ram was in the car waiting for us and we headed to the hotel. At the hotel entrance Ram dropped us off, Ram told Ranger he was going back to the club to keep an eye on the guys and make sure Lester comes home. Ranger, Julie and I were greeted by the doorman and we walked into a quiet lobby and took the elevator to our home away from home.

Julie kissed us both good night and went to her room. Ranger and I went to our room and got ready for bed. We got into bed and talked, "Babe, given the fact today's test was positive, maybe you should take it easy on the rides while we're here." My sweet husband said while kissing my neck.

"I agree with you. I don't want to take any chances, I promise to take it easy." Kissing him back, I decided that if the doctor visit proves positive results we would wait until I was at least 3 months pregnant before we announced it to our family, just to be on the safe side.

We talked a little more and I was starting to get tired. I turned on my side with my back to Ranger's strong chest and he wrapped his arm around me, rubbing my belly gently. My wonderful husband whispered in my ear, "This** is** my happiest place on earth" he laughed softly.

"Ranger, I'm scared" I whispered and fell asleep.

_**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**_

_**A/N: **_Well they're back and have finally arrived at the Happiest Place on Earth. Natalie is a bad bad girl, do you think she'll get Lester in trouble again?

What do you think about Stephanie and Ranger having a baby? What do you think about Julie wanting to move to Trenton?

I had to fight with the story, it was taking control, I won the fight otherwise it would be another long chapter.

Thank you _**Susan Peters**_, YOU ROCK…

_**Dorri Molnar-Moon**_, this is for you because you've made my day...Hope you enjoy

More to come.


	16. Boys Just Wanna Have Fun

_Chapter ~ 16 ~_

_Boys just wanna have fun_

_Previously_

_We talked a little more and I was starting to get tired. I turned on my side with my back to Ranger's strong chest and he wrapped his arm around me, rubbing my belly gently. My wonderful husband whispered in my ear, "This is my happiest place on earth" he laughed softly._

_"Ranger, I'm scared" I whispered and fell asleep._

_**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**_

It was a ridiculous hour of the morning or night not really sure when Ranger and I were awakened by the loud annoying phone ringing. We both jumped up startled. I quickly put on my robe and ran to check on Julie who was sound asleep. Relieved, I peeked in the other rooms to find them empty with beds that had not been slept in. I ran back to Ranger who growled as he hung up the phone and headed to wash his face and brush his teeth while I quickly looked for something to wear.

"Honey, what's going on?" I asked scared it was something bad. "My dumbass men are at the sheriff's office, they seem to be in some sort of trouble, I didn't stay on the phone long enough to find out what happened." He replied furiously.

"Julie and I can go with you, let me go wake…" Ranger interrupted me, "NO it's late, stay here and go back to sleep." He said as he kissed me and started walking towards the door when it dawned on me, no car.

"Ranger, the guys have the car, how are you going to get to the station?" He stopped dead in his tracks and looked at me. "FUCK" and he walked out slamming the door behind him. Let me tell you that pissed off is an understatement, I can't remember when I've seen him this angry at someone other than one of my stalkers. The guys better have a damn good explanation to avoid daily mat time for the next year.

I couldn't sleep worrying about the guys. As I was just about to doze off I heard voices in the living room and quickly got up and put on my pj's to join everyone in the living room to see the guys with dried blood, cuts and scrapes on their faces and arms.

"Oh my God, what the hell happened?" I shrieked then put my hand over my mouth realizing how loud I was and hoping I didn't wake Julie. Nobody said a word.

Ranger was pacing back and forth, I sat down waiting for him to calm down, his blood was pumping angrily in his throat as he was pacing. After a few minutes I walked over to him, held his arm and told him to stop. "Ranger, sit and calm down, your face is red as a tomato, if I took your blood pressure it would probably be off the charts, please." He looked at me and took a deep breath, I led him to the couch and we all sat quietly waiting.

"You're damn lucky Stephanie calmed me down because you'd all be fired right here and now." Ranger fired angrily. I looked at my Merry Men who had guilt written all over their faces.

"EXPLAIN," Ranger barked, the guys all looked at each other and Ram began.

"Boss, we were having a decent time dancing and Miss Natalie apparently had a little too much to drink and was doing her version of dirty dancing." Ram explained quietly. "Santos was keeping up with her when some dudes came over to the ladies and made some smart ass remarks. One of the jerks was pawing at Christina and another at Susan. We told them to stop but they wouldn't shut up, they continued on and on."

Ram stopped and Manny continued. "When they wouldn't listen to reason we showed them we meant business." He waited for Woody to tell his side.

"They threw the first punch boss, we fought back when some of the goons decided to throw some tables and chairs, next thing we are handcuffed and taken outside." Woody finished and looked at Lester.

"Boss, I gave the cops the details, told them we're all carry concealed certified and they hauled all of us to the station. They let Manny drive the truck to the station, we and the ladies told them again what happened."

Lester finished his story and the guys sat quietly looking at Ranger and me with puppy dog eyes. I tried so hard to control myself from laughing but I knew I was about to lose it so I excused myself saying I needed to use the bathroom. I ran to our room and straight into the bathroom cracking up, I really did have to pee, you know how hard it is to pee and crack up quietly at the same time? it's not an easy task.

I walked back into the living room to pathetic looking grown up badass men, I quietly and quickly took a picture before they noticed me and I joined Ranger on the couch.

"Anything else?" Ranger asked growling.

"No sir" the men all replied looking sheepishly.

"Were the ladies alright when you left them; they weren't hurt were they?" I asked hoping they were all fine. "They finally calmed down and were ok to drive back to Miss Darla's house with police escort, they weren't hurt" Manny answered.

Ranger stood up and began pacing again, we all knew he was about to blow.

"Angry doesn't begin to explain how furious I am. I ought to ship each and every one of you to a third world country to teach you a lesson." The pacing continued and I could see he was trying to stay calm.

"You're all fucking lucky that the manager of the club told the cops you acted in self-defense and were looking out for the ladies." Ranger looked at his men for a minute and continued. "The cops said the manager wasn't going to press charges because you guys didn't start the fight, he pressed charges against the ones who started this. When you guys told the cops who you worked for they wanted you to call me to teach you boys a lesson."

He stopped pacing, leaned against the back of a chair and crossed his arms at his chest.

"You're damn lucky this was a case of self-defense and I'm going to be lenient. All of you will have monitor duty for 1 week and appointments on the mats when we return." Everyone was silent.

"You know what is more humiliating than this crap you pulled?" He waited with arms crossed and gave the men a deadly glare as he waited for an answer but there wasn't one.

"I HAD TO TAKE THE FUCKING HOTEL SHUTTLE TO THE DAMN STATION." Ranger shouted and I completely lost it, I cracked up and spit out the water I had just sipped.

"BABE."

"I'm sorry Ranger, I didn't mean to laugh but the image of my badass Ranger pulling up in the hotel shuttle is funny." I continued laughing quietly as he glared at me. I gave him one of my innocent smiles then he turned his attention to the men.

"From now on you have a curfew, you are all to be at the hotel by midnight unless we are all together. You will not engage in any altercations with anyone, if you have to defend or settle a score you take it outside. I would prefer you walk away but last resort you take it outside, IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?"

Ranger finished and waited for a response.

"Yes sir," replied my Merry Men and Ranger continued.

"As far as these ladies are concerned, no screwing around, do I make myself clear, Santos is the only one so far who's guilty of that but the message is for all of you. Santos, she is a married woman and the last thing we need is for the husband to show up and try to fucking kill you."

Lester was about to protest when Ram and Woody smacked him upside the head and he quickly shut his mouth. Ranger wasn't finished yet.

"Now I don't have a problem if the ladies want to hang out but remember, this is a work related trip and you are to act accordingly. NO ONE goes off on their own. GOT IT?" Ranger waited for an answer.

"Yes boss" they answered looking at him.

"Now since Stephanie is not feeling well these days, she has decided to keep her activities to a minimum and ride on easy rides, each one of you will rotate on accompanying her and I will be with Julie." They agreed and sat waiting to be released.

"Now go get some sleep, Julie will soon be waking up to start her day, we'll need rest for her energy. We'll be eating breakfast here." The guys got up and walked to their rooms.

"Santos stay, I want to talk to you." Lester waited and Ranger got in his face, "If one more thing happens during this trip, you will be fired, I am serious." I wanted to throw in a few comments of my own about how they've been blaming me and making me feel bad about all the crap that involved me so far throughout this trip, they're just as bad, but I decided to keep my mouth shut, it wasn't the appropriate time.

"Santos, do you understand?" Ranger barked. "Sir, yes sir understood." Lester replied in true military fashion and his phone dinged indicating he had a text. We all knew it was Natalie which he chose to ignore and walked to his room with his tail in between his legs.

Ranger took my hand leading me to our room and we got into bed. Julie no doubt would be waking up in a couple of hours so we needed to get some sleep. I wanted to talk to him about how out of control his reaction was but I decided to keep my mouth shut. Thank goodness my filter was under control. He wrapped his arms around me and I fell asleep as he was rubbing my belly.

**_xoxoxoxoxoxoxo_**

You know when you're sound asleep and wake up because you feel someone is watching you? Well I woke up to two sets of eye balls staring at me. I rolled over trying to ignore them but it didn't work so I rolled on my back, sat up a little and stared right back at them.

"What?" I asked with a groggy voice, "Is there a reason you're both staring at me?"

"Don't you need to pee Steph?" Julie asked smirking.

"Why the interest in my bladder, is that why you woke me up to make sure I didn't pee in the bed?" I asked knowing full well what they were waiting for. "You're sure you don't need to use the bathroom?" Julie asked again. Ranger smiled as he stared at me.

"Steph you said you were going to take the second test today. Here drink some water that will fill up your bladder." Julie said as she shoved a bottle of water in my face.

"OH, you two are waiting for me to take the test, I get it." I replied grinning at my husband and adorable step daughter. I got out of bed and walked to the bathroom with Lucy and Ethel at my heels and stopped at the doorway to the bathroom.

"Really, you want to make this a team event. Can I have a few minutes to go to the bathroom in peace?" I shut the door and I could hear Julie giggling.

"For crying out loud, GO AWAY FROM THE DOOR, I'll let you know when I'm done." I yelled out to them, I mean how am I supposed to take care of business with two nags standing at the door. I finished up and left the test on the counter then walked back into the bedroom as I set the timer for three minutes. When the timer went off, Julie ran into the bathroom and picked up the stick and screamed jumping up and down.

"IT SAYS PREGNANT" Julie shouted.

"Ssshhhhh, I don't want the guys to hear" I said quietly. She jumped on the bed and quietly shouted, "OH MY GOD, I'm gonna be a big sister again."

"Honey, we can celebrate after we have a confirmation from the doctor." Ranger explained to his daughter quietly.

"OK, OK, I'll just get excited again after the doctor appointment" Julie replied as she lunged at me kissing me then did the same to her dad. We finished the discussion with a group hug. "Remember, I want to come live with you guys to help with the baby OK?" Apparently Julie wasn't ready to finish the subject.

"Sweetheart, we have to discuss this further when the time comes and remember your parents have the final say." Ranger told his very excited daughter.

"Are we going out for breakfast dad?"

"No we're eating here, the men came in pretty late so they're sleeping in." Ranger explained.

The three of us were lying on the bed with Julie in the middle of us and I decided to take a shower. Julie went back to her room and Ranger joined me.

"Babe, how do you feel about the results of the tests?" I haven't fully grasped the fact that both tests were positive. "I'm nervous and scared at the same time" I answered honestly.

"We're in this together Babe, I'll be scared and nervous right along with you."

"Ranger, nothing scares you" I told my husband while he finished washing his hair. "On the contrary, the thought of losing you scares me." My sweet husband kissed me and we finished our shower, dressed and headed into the living room where Julie was watching T.V. I made coffee and poured each of us a cup joining Ranger and Julie on the couch.

"Caffeine Babe?" Ranger questioned. I shrugged my shoulders and drank my coffee anyway.

"Should we order room service or are we going to wait for the guys to wake up?" I asked as my stomach growled.

"Time to feed the beast Babe, why don't you order whatever you and Julie want, I just want fruit and a bagel with cream cheese. The guys can order for themselves as they wake up." Julie and I were looking at the room service menu when Manny and Ram joined us in the living room with a cup of coffee each. As soon as they sat down, they apologized to Ranger and me about last night. I asked them what they wanted for breakfast and they wanted a light breakfast so I doubled up on Rangers order and added a few extra items to it.

While we were eating Lester and Woody came out of their rooms and poured themselves coffee then joined us at the table, I had ordered plenty of food so I told them to sit and eat. Woody and Lester also apologized and Julie had a look on her face that she was wondering what all the apologies were about.

"What's everyone apologizing for, what happened?" Julie asked her dad, who told her not to worry about it. Breakfast was delicious and I was completely satisfied and full. We were enjoying coffee when the guys apologized yet again about what happened. I could see the remorse and anger on their faces. They were angry at themselves. Ranger accepted their apology and told them the curfew still stands. They all understood and it was clear they weren't doing this to lift the curfew. Julie was going nuts trying to figure out what happened and why a curfew.

After everyone was relieved and relaxed, I burst into fits of laughter so hard I had tears rolling down my face. Julie joined in the laughter and pretty soon the guys were laughing right along with me. Julie stopped laughing and looked at me and asked, "Steph what are we laughing at?"

When my laughing fit had finally came to an end I told her. "Your dad, badass Ranger, had to take the hotel shuttle last night to the Sheriff's office to get these guys."

Julie had a blank stare saying "HUH?" There was dead silence in the room and Ranger was pissed. I quickly realized that I had embarrassed him in front of his daughter and his men. I wanted to dig a hole and crawl in it.

"Oh my God honey, I am so sorry." I took his hand and led him back to our room. "Ranger, I am so so sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you in front of everyone, please forgive me, please don't be upset." He didn't say anything all he did was stand and look out the balcony. I felt horrible and I didn't know how to fix it.

I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him, promising never to bring it up again. I didn't get a single reaction, I stood for a few seconds and came up with a doozy.

"The baby, YOUR baby made me lose control of my filter. It's not my fault, blame your baby." I said smiling innocently. Then after what seemed like an eternity he gave me a 500 watt smile and hugged me back. We stayed like that until Julie knocked on the door and walked in.

"Dad, I'm sorry for laughing at you but I didn't know what I was laughing at it was kind of contagious, I promise." Julie told her dad as she kissed his cheek.

"I know sweetie, it was the baby's fault" he answered and we all laughed. "This kid is gonna take after its' mother causing trouble already, mother and child will be the death of me." He kissed us both and led us back to the living room.

"Ladies we have a day to plan."

We joined the guys, "Santos you have Bomber duty today" Ranger turned to me. "Babe, you still aren't feeling 100% so you're taking it easy correct?" I looked at him pouting "Yes dear, I reserved tickets for Under the Sea it's the journey of The Little Mermaid, Ariel, Ursula and Prince Eric in a boat. There's a dancing hat ride and I want to go on the tea cup ride called the Mad Tea Party." Lester was not a happy camper about Bomber duty but he didn't dare complain about it.

"Ranger, I'm going downstairs to book some of the tours" I informed him as I stood up to leave.

"Babe, no need to do that, the concierge will come here. Manny call him." I'm so not used to this lifestyle.

"Are you all ok with going on a Kilimanjaro Safari, it's a three hour tour." Suddenly I started singing the theme song to Gilligan's Island.

"_Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip._

_That started from Disney World aboard an open air vehicle._

_The Mate was a mighty badass babe,_

_The Bossman brave and sure._

_5 passengers that rode that day on a 3 hour tour._

_The weather started getting rough,_

_The vehicle was tossed about,_

_If not for the courage of the Rangeman crew, the vehicle would be lost._

_The vehicle would be lost._

_The truck drove into a great big rock and fell on to its side_

_With wild animals all around danger was nearby._

_With Stephanie and Ranger too,_

_The man whore Lester and Manny_

_There's Woody and Ram_

_And Julie, Rangers daughter, _

_Here on Kilimanjaro Safari."_

I finished my rendition of the song and everyone stood up clapping and laughing. I was kind of proud of myself for making up such a cute song. "Wow, a standing ovation, there is another verse or two, would you like me to continue?" I asked laughing and in return to my question a big fat "NO" rose throughout the room.

"Pretty good Babe, quick thinking." Ranger commented with a smile. There was a knock on the door, Manny answered and let in Thomas, our concierge, who joined us in the living room.

"Good morning, how are you this morning? I trust last nights' matter was resolved without any problems" Thomas said. "Yes everything was taken care of" Ranger replied.

"What can I do for you Mr. and Mrs. Manoso?" Thomas asked in concierge mode.

"My wife would like to book a few tours." Ranger answered. "Babe, I have a few calls to make, you can handle this." He kissed me and walked to the small office that Manny and Woody had set up. Lester and Ram followed Ranger with Woody and Manny staying behind with me.

"Mrs. Manoso, I am at your service, let's do some planning shall we?"

"Thomas, can I get you a cup of coffee?" I asked.

"Mrs. Manoso, I thank you but….." I cut him short. "Look Thomas, we are not hoity toity people, we are no different than you, please join me in a cup of coffee." I said rather abruptly and I brought the coffee pot and cup over as I filled his cup.

"Mrs. Manoso, you are indeed a sweet and unpretentious lady, thank you. Thomas said sweetly.

"Then please call me Stephanie" I insisted.

"Now what tours are you interested in?" He asked taking out his tablet.

"The Kilimanjaro Safari Tour, Animal Kingdom tour, Race Car driving for all of us. My daughter and I would like to swim with the dolphins, I want to get up close and personal with sea creatures without being eaten. I'd like a lunch for all of us with the Disney Characters and I would like a lunch with Cinderella at the castle for Julie and myself" I rattled on.

"Stephanie, the Kilimanjaro Safari is an excellent tour, in order for it to be private it requires a larger group than what you have, but I will make it work for your group." I sat and pondered for a few minutes. "No worries, there are six additional friends that will join us." I added the ladies to our group knowing they'd end up tagging along anyway.

"Perfect Mrs.…. I mean Stephanie, Animal Kingdom and Richard Petty driving is perfect for the seven of you. Did you have any specific days and times in mind?"

"No, other than the best time for the animals to be out and roaming around on the Safari. Just let me know the schedule and we'll be ready." I reassured him.

"Is there anything else you'd like to experience during your stay?" Thomas is great at his job.

"Um, is it possible to plan a traditional Hawaiian Luau?" I asked with curiosity.

"Of course, we can plan a wonderful Luau for you, will it be for seven or thirteen people?" I looked at Manny and Woody for direction.

"Thirteen will be good Thomas." Woody replied.

"Now for the young lady, what would you like to do?" Thomas directed his attention to Julie.

"Everything mom said is good. I'll be going on some of the scary rides with my dad, since mom hasn't been feeling that great lately." Julie answered and she turned to look at me as I had some tears streaming down my face. She called me mom and I called her daughter. Then it hit me, I'm pregnant OH MY GOD, I stood up quickly ran into the office and barged in.

"Les, Ram, leave NOW." I ordered and they did as I asked, well I really didn't ask.

"Babe, what's wrong?" Ranger jumped out of the chair and took me in his arms.

"Ranger, I'm pregnant, we're going to have a baby, we're going to be parents, a little Manoso will call us mommy and daddy, oh my God, and we're gonna be grandparents at some point in our lives." I rambled on and on as the tears flowed.

"I know Babe, what brought this on?" He asked smiling and kissing me on the head.

"I called Julie my daughter and she called me mom, then BAM it hit me. Ranger, I'm really scared and nothing I've experienced so far has ever scared me like this." I cried holding him tight, I'm surprised he was able to breath. I put my head on his chest and cried. His breathing and heartbeat calmed me after a few minutes. One of the many things I love about this man, he lets me ramble and cry waiting patiently no matter how long it takes until I'm finished.

"I guess the hormones are kicking in already. Ranger, I'm sorry for barging in and interrupting your meeting."

"Stephanie, you are very important to me, you, Julie and now our baby are my number one priority, never forget that." He held my hand

"Honey, do you think we should tell the guys? They're going to wonder about this sudden outburst and why I'm going on baby rides, they have a lot of smarts."

"It's up to you, whatever you decide." Ranger said reassuringly, he held my hand and led me back to the living room to find six very worried and confused faces.

"I'm so sorry everybody for that sudden crazy moment." I told everyone in the room

"Stephanie, was it something I said during our discussion?" Thomas asked with concern and sincerity.

"No no, Thomas absolutely not. I just lost it for a moment." I replied assuring him he was not the cause of what I did.

"Mr. and Mrs. Manoso, I will take care of everything and send you the itinerary. Is there anything else I can do before I leave?" Thomas asked.

"Yes, one more thing, please schedule a full spa day for my wife and daughter, a day full of pampering." Ranger instructed.

"Absolutely Mr. Manoso, I'll add that to the schedule," Thomas stood up and shook Rangers hand and turned his attention to me.

"Stephanie, please don't hesitate to call me if you need anything, big or small, I'm at your disposal, you are a delightful woman and it's my pleasure to assist you." Thomas finished up and headed to the door.

"Thank you Thomas." I joined everyone and sat down. They all stared at me waiting for an explanation. I looked at Ranger for answers.

"Julie, guys I am really sorry about what happened. Julie I called you my daughter and you called me mom and it suddenly all sunk in." I said to Julie holding her hands.

"Steph, I'm so glad, I thought it was something I said." Julie replied.

"OK guys, I'm gonna tell you something that stays in this room. Top secret and if you spill you're all dead, understand?" They all looked at me then at Ranger promising to keep the secret.

"Well I'm pregnant, that's been the reason for me being sick so often. I've taken two pregnancy tests and both were positive. You can't say a word to ANYONE. Ranger and I decided to wait until I'm at least three months before we tell anyone."

My four Merry Men broke out in laughter and stared at me, Lester became the spokesperson.

"Beautiful, is that all? Tell us something we don't already know." Lester said grinning from ear to ear.

"WAIT! WHAT? HOW? WHEN?" I also can use one word answers, except with me they become a single sentence.

"Wifey, a husband knows these things" Manny said laughing. "Seriously, I kind of figured it out at the strawberry farm. I promise not to say a word." He stood up and kissed my check.

Woody was next, "Santos and I thought it was possible when you yelled at the boss man about why he kept asking you a certain question."

"Bomber, I kind had the idea when you got so attached to Stephany and your protectiveness of those kids at the accident on the way to Miami." Ram added. I was so shocked that they all had some idea.

"Guys, please don't say anything, promise me otherwise you'll all be shipped to a country that ends with 'Stan' naked. I can make Ranger do things with my womanly charm." They all stared at me as I continued.

"Listen, about that episode, I called Julie my daughter and when she called me mom, it hit me like a ton of bricks and I lost it, well you know the rest, the hormones kicked in." I felt relief that I didn't have to hide this during our trip.

"DAAAAAMMMMM, A BABY Manoso running around Rangeman, I want a boy" Woody blurted out.

"I want a girl" Manny shouted.

"I say twins or even triplets" Yelled Lester. We all looked at him and Woody smacked him on the head as we all yelled. "BITE YOUR TONGUE SANTOS."

Woody looked at Ranger and me, "I say a girl with Ranger's complexion and hair with Bombers blue eyes." Ranger laughed and wrapped his arm around me kissing me while the guys all shouted CONGRATULATIONS and fist bumped each other.

Julie added her statement of love. "I told Steph and Dad that as soon as the doctor confirms it, I'm moving to Trenton to help with my new brother or sister."

We sat in silence for a few minutes and Ranger said "OK, let's get going. Santos, you're with Stephanie, Julie and I will be on some rides, Manny you're with me Woody and Ram you're on your own if you want or you can hang with me or Steph."

"Boss, I'll help Santos with Wifey, you know keep him out of trouble." Manny said with an evil grin on his face.

"Ranger, Woody and I will hang out with you," Ram informed everyone.

"OK that works." Ranger pulled me into his arms looked at me then kissed me.

"Babe, if you get tired or anything you rest, if you get hungry, eat and listen to your body. Les and Manny, you take good care of my wife and baby and Santos, STAY OUT OF TROUBLE. I'll text you periodically. Love you Babe, have fun." I stood looking at him, smiled and said "OK, OK, OK worry wart" Ranger slapped my ass and held my hand as we all walked out the door to the elevator.

Thomas met us in the lobby and directed us outside saying our transportation was ready and walked us to the hotel shuttle. I was about to giggle but I remembered my promise plus Ranger turned and looked at me with a glare that told me to keep my mouth shut.

"Thomas, we will drive our own vehicle, shuttle is not necessary, if you can provide us with a pass we'll be on our way" Lester quickly stated. "As you wish" Thomas replied and walked over to his desk and brought over a VIP parking pass and Manny went out to get the car.

"See Honey, I can behave." I whispered in his ear and kissed him. "Thank you" He said and kissed me back.

We arrived at the park and I was so excited then I realized the excitement was for nothing since I was going on the kid rides but I was going to do my best to have a good time. I hugged and kissed Julie, hugged Ram and Woody and gave my husband a big fat lip lock that would hold him until we met for lunch later on.

We said goodbye, Lester, Manny and I headed to fun time, I know that this is not at all what Les or Hubs had in mind but hey Manny volunteered to come with us.

The first place we went to was Under The Sea, Journey of The Little Mermaid. We took a ride in a clam, saw the story of The Little Mermaid, we also saw Ursula in her finest, the underwater dancing, Prince Eric and Ariel in a boat, beautiful rocks, waterfalls and everything associated with The Little Mermaid. It all was so much fun.

We then went to the Mad Tea Party, we climbed into the tea cups and spun around, we rode several times and had a blast, Manny was laughing right along with me, Lester was trying so hard to play Mr. Tough guy, he was not about to show me that he was enjoying himself.

We walked around some before stopping to get something to drink and I was starting to get hungry. Ranger sent me a text saying him and Julie were having a great time. We decided to meet up for lunch at a Polynesian restaurant in about 1 ½ hours. I wanted to do some souvenir shopping and stopped off at a little bakery to get something to nibble on.

"So Beautiful, are you excited about the baby?" Lester asked.

"I am but I am nervous and scared about it all, I don't want to get too excited yet until I have confirmation from the doctor but I am excited and can't wait until the baby is born, I can't wait to see what it will look like."

"Sheesh, Wifey your only 10 minutes pregnant and you're already wanting for the baby to be born, rushing it much?" Manny said.

I laughed and shrugged my shoulders "You know I'm not a patient person but I guess I need to start huh?"

"Steph, I am really happy for you and Ranger, I really am. You are gonna make a great mom and the baby will be gorgeous regardless if it's a boy or girl, it will be a looker." Lester said sweetly and kissed my cheek.

We walked around looking at the various attractions and started to walk towards the restaurant to meet up with Ranger. I am so glad he's getting the chance to spend one on one time with Julie, they both need this time together. I didn't realize how much walking there is to do in this place, I was pooped by the time we arrived at the restaurant. We were the first to arrive so we found tables in the back corner. I ordered drinks for everyone while we waited for my sexy husband.

When Ranger walked into the restaurant he was glowing, if you can use that description for a man. He was holding Julie's hand and there was no doubt what so ever that he was happy and it made me very happy to see him like this, he deserves it. As he was walking in I thought of all the hard work, his missions, the darkness of his past, the many things he's had to do and the torture he's had to endure to rid this world of horrible people. I couldn't help but get teary eyed knowing the sadness he's had in his life and seeing him glowing with his daughter is priceless. Julie must have said something funny to her dad because he turned to look at her with a huge smile and I quickly took a picture.

"Hi Babe, did you enjoy your rides?" Ranger asked as he sat down and kissed me. "I did, I think Lester had more fun but won't admit it. How about you two, did you have a good time?" I answered kissing him back.

"Steph, oh my gosh the rides were the bomb, I screamed on every single one and I think I even heard dad scream on a couple of them." Julie rambled excitedly telling me about their adventure. "Excuse me oh daughter of mine, I did not scream at all, if anything I laughed through all the rides at all the chickens screaming." Ranger responded with a smirk.

Once everyone was settled in their seats, we looked at the menu trying to figure out what we wanted to eat. I had no clue so I let Ranger order, I am quite sure that I will like anything he orders. After a few minutes a server came to take our order and my phone pinged with an email message from Thomas, he had our itinerary, the man moves fast.

"Les, the Kilimanjaro Safari is scheduled for day after tomorrow, why don't you text Natalie and tell her that we have included them, to meet us at the hotel at 10:30 and plan on it being all day. If they can't join us I need to know so Thomas can work his magic." Les quickly sent a text to Natalie and a few minutes later he gave me a thumbs up.

"I have the itinerary from Thomas, I will forward it to all of you. Julie tomorrow you and I have an all-day session at the spa. I assume you want to go on rides with your dad in the evening, you'll have time after the spa tomorrow." I forwarded the itinerary to everyone and a few minutes later our food arrived.

The food looked delicious and it smelled heavenly, I could not wait to dig in. Our server explained all the items and I was on my way to eating moan worthy Polynesian food. No matter what I ate, it was amazing, there wasn't a single thing that was simply ok. Everything was out of this world good.

We finished our lunch and Julie wanted to go on some water rides, "Dad can we go on more rides?" He said yes and I said I would go do some shopping and then sickness took over and I made a mad dash to the bathroom and lost everything I just ate. Ughh, here we go again. As I walked out of the bathroom, Ranger was outside waiting for me.

"Babe, I'm sorry you're feeling bad again." Ranger said as he put his arms around me and walked me back to our table to find five concerned faces staring at me.

"I'm fine everyone it's the baby and my body changing, hormones and who knows what else. Hopefully it won't be throughout the entire pregnancy."

"Babe, You and I will go back to the hotel and Julie can stay with the guys." Ranger is so sweet to give up time with his daughter. "No honey, I want you and Julie to enjoy yourselves, I'll go back and hang out there. I'm tired anyway so I can take a nap."

"Ram, you and I will take Steph back to the hotel and you can come back here" Manny suggested.

"I was actually thinking of tagging along I need to work out" Ram answered.

"Oh look, this is all so crazy, you guys all stay here have fun, and I'll be fine at the hotel by myself." I told everyone but as always I was out numbered. Lester was going to drive Manny, Ram and I back to the hotel and come back and meet up with Ranger, Woody and Julie.

"Babe, are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Ranger asked concerned.

"No, you enjoy having fun with Julie and I'll see you when you get back to the hotel ok?" I told him and gave him a big kiss on his luscious lips. He kissed me back and we left. Lester dropped us off and headed back to the park. Ram went to the gym and I laid on the couch watching TV.

I couldn't help but rub my belly, thinking about a little Manoso who will be changing our lives and no doubt keeping us quite busy for the next one hundred years and at some point I fell asleep.

_**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**_

_**A/N: **__As always, characters belong to JE, original characters are mine and story line is mine. ALL mistakes are mine and mine alone._

_Boy oh boy, that Natalie sure is a trouble maker, she's perfect for Lester. Natalie, Susan, Christina, Darla, Martha and Claudette, I hope you ladies enjoy the Kilimanjaro Safari….hahahah_

_And to my creative side of my brain, __**Susan Peters**__, thank you for all you do and contrary to what you say, __**I WILL ALWAYS NEED YOU….**_

_Thank you to the readers for all your wonderful reviews, I really appreciate them._


	17. All Good Things Come to an End

_~Chapter 17~_

_All Good Things Come to an End_

_Previously_

_I couldn't help but rub my belly, thinking about a little Manoso who will be changing our lives and no doubt keeping us quite busy for the next one hundred years _

_and at some point I fell asleep._

_**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO**_

I felt much better after my nap. I rose from the bed and went to the bathroom to take care of my bladder and then to the living room to find Ram on the couch talking on the phone. Guessing he was talking to Victoria, his face told the tale of a man very much smitten. I took a couple of bottled waters out of the fridge, handing one to Ram. I sat on the couch watching TV as he finished up his conversation.

"Victoria and Stephany said hello and Stephany wants to know if you've gotten in any more trouble." Ram said laughing as he ended his call. "I trust they are doing well and things are progressing with the two of you nicely?" I asked.

Ram blushed lightly, "they are Bomber, I like her a lot and we plan on seeing each other once we return to Trenton. She lives in Berryville VA which is a 3 ½ hour drive, so it's not that far. We've talked about an out of state relationship and I think we can make it work. So I'll be busy on my days off." I leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"I'm happy for you Ram and I hope that it all goes exactly how you both want and nothing gets in the way. I love you as a brother and I want you to be happy."

"Bomber, I can't tell you how happy I am for you and the boss. You know with little Bomber, being on this trip with you and Ranger has shown me that I want what you two have and I think Victoria is the one." I looked at him, I was happy to hear my friend; my partner and my brother want what Ranger and I have. "Ram, it took us a while to get here but thank you, it makes me happy to hear you say that. Just don't be as dumb as we were by hiding your feelings."

I was flipping through the channels when I found one that ran old shows, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, all I could think of was Dougie and Mooner having Jeannie marathons with their famous homemade brownies. Ram gave me his version of an eye roll when I got comfy and watched Bewitched. Apparently never having seen the show, I decided to explain it to him and the characters, although he'll never admit it he was actually enjoying the show. Gilligan's Island theme song came on, Ram and I were cracking up as the rest of the gang walked in the door.

"What's making you two crack up Beautiful?" Lester asked as he waltzed into the room and he jumped onto the couch pulling me into him. "We're watching Gilligan's Island" I replied still laughing.

Ranger pulled Lester out of the way to sit next to me and put his arm around me kissing me hello. We all sat watching the show together and I smiled having my husband, daughter and my brothers with me. When the show was over, we listened as Julie told us about the rides and how much fun she had, Natalie and the ladies had also joined the guys. It seemed they enjoyed themselves. I passed out the itinerary that Ram printed while I was asleep.

"OK here's the plan for the week, pay attention. Tomorrow Julie, you and I have an all-day appointment at the spa. We have daily schedules for Kilimanjaro Safari, Hawaiian Luau, Animal Kingdom and Richard Petty driving. The ladies are included in the Safari and Hawaiian Luau, it's all there on paper. I can put the schedule in my calendar and forward it to you if you like."

"Already taken care of Bomber, everyone has the itinerary added to their calendars with alerts included" Ram replied. Everyone checked their calendars and Lester sent a text which I gathered was to Natalie letting her know the time for the Safari and Luau.

"Honey, what's the plan for tonight?" I asked.

"Dinner at the hotel, Thomas has taken care of the reservations, we eat in two hours." Julie went to her room, Ranger stood up took my hand and led me our bedroom. We made ourselves cozy as we cuddled on the bed talking. My ever so attentive husband got up started a bath and I was happily making my way to bath time fun.

When we finished, I worked on my hair and makeup. I came out of the bathroom to find something to wear, to my surprise a garment bag was laying on the bed. Inside the bag was a beautiful sleeveless peach chiffon dress with black lace trim around the neckline and a pair of peach sandals. "Um Ranger, isn't it a little too soon for maternity clothes?" I asked waving the label at him.

"I couldn't resist Babe" he said kissing my forehead. I finished getting dressed and my sexy husband whistled as he twirled me around.

"You are one sexy pregnant woman." He slapped my butt and we walked out to the living room. "You won't be saying that when I look like the good year blimp." I replied and he laughed.

Julie walked out the same time, looking absolutely adorable in her dress, she ran to her dad to hug and kiss him, thanking him for the dress and shoes. My merry men whistled at Julie and I as we both did a curtsey. Manny and Woody walked to the door with Ram and Lester behind us.

The Four Seasons Resort is absolutely beautiful. The restaurant is called Revelle, with tall, arched windows and an outdoor terrace where we were seated to enjoy views of the gardens and water. The restaurant serves delicious Italian and Mediterranean cuisines. I could not wait to eat and from the dishes I saw at other tables, the food was going to be awesome. Ranger was being very cautious regarding my pregnancy so caffeine and alcohol was out, I ordered an alcohol free peach Bellini.

We ordered a variety of appetizers, Italian and Mediterranean dishes. I am going to be one happy prego camper after all I am eating for two. Dinner was delicious; I was not disappointed at all. I ordered a variety of desserts there was no way I could leave this place with eating only one dessert.

We all had such a great time, we laughed at Lester telling us funny stories and more stories about today were shared by Julie and Woody. I noticed Julie was looking at her dad with love and pride, when Ranger laughed or talked she'd stare at him with sparkle in her eyes. This was a good idea to have Julie join us on this trip, it's been good for both father and daughter to spend time with each other bonding and making memories. It makes me so happy to see the love they have for one another. Ranger and Julie need this time together, it's been a long time coming and very much deserved.

After dinner, we decided to go back to the family friendly club. Julie was ecstatic because her friend Alex had sent a text saying his family would be there. Ranger wasn't too thrilled but he was a good sport about it. We arrived at the club and found seats then ordered drinks and watched Julie look for Alex without making it obvious. I elbowed Ranger and the ever intuitive father was already keeping a close eye on his daughter, it was pretty funny.

Lester made his way to a few ladies and asked one of them to dance. I was surprised that my Merry Men didn't have their entourage nearby. Julie danced with Ram and I danced with Woody while Manny and Ranger kept their eyes out for any threat as if that would ever happen at the happiest place on earth. We finished dancing and walked back to our seating area talking and drinking.

I had to use the restroom so I took Julie with me. When we were back at our seats, Alex was standing patiently and very nervously waiting for Julie. Even in the dim lighting I could clearly see he was blushing when he saw Julie, they talked and went off to the dance floor. Woody joined Lester and asked one of the ladies to dance, no doubt to keep an eye on Julie. My Merry Men definitely don't miss a beat and that's one of the many reasons I love them.

Alex's family joined us, I laughed when I saw Alex and Julie do their version of a Jersey eye roll, they were a little embarrassed that both families were hanging out together. The young are so cute when they're smitten. Ram asked Alex's older sister if she wanted to dance, her eyes and face lit up like a Christmas tree, I mean honestly my Merry Men make women blush and fall all over themselves why wouldn't a young lady go all goo-goo eyed.

The DJ announced 15 minutes left until the end of family friendly time. I have to say that this is a great concept and security is very thorough in making sure there are no underage kids remaining, they check every nook and cranny before they open the club to the 21+ age guests. As we finished our drinks and conversation Mr. Miller asked what our schedule was for the rest of the week but Ranger was not about to give him our itinerary so he said, "we're the fly by the seat of your pants kind of group." I laughed wondering where the hell that came from.

Manny and Ram were waiting for us outside with the car and we all got in heading back to our hotel. I was relaxed and feeling pretty good after a night of great food and wonderful company, I was also looking forward to a night of team scrabble.

"OK boys and girls, here are the teams, Ranger and I, Team Batman, Julie and Ram Team Lollipop, Manny and Woody Team Hulk and Lester you're Team Robin, your own since you have challenged us saying you can beat the crap out of us." We played a few games and suddenly it was 1:30 in the morning.

"I'm going to bed. Julie I will see you in the morning for our Spa day, I can't wait." I said as I gave her a light peck on her cheek. "Me too Steph, it's gonna be a great day" she replied and kissed me back.

I walked to our bedroom and I was joined by my sexy husband who stood watching me washing off my makeup with a sweet smile on his face.

"Hi honey, are you going to bed too?" I asked kissing him.

"Babe; I can't handle another game of scrabble." He answered kissing me back then went to his sink to brush his teeth and wash his face. I climbed into bed and waited for the sexiest man on earth to join me and make an already great day even better and only this man can accomplish that.

"Good morning sunshine" Ranger said as he showered me with soft kisses. "Umm, good morning Batman, such a nice way to wake up." I said purring and returning his kisses.

"Breakfast has been ordered, are you ready for your day of pampering?" He asked "I am how are you going to spend your day?" I replied.

"The guys and I are going to have a few hours of work out time then we have some Rangeman business to take care of." I laughed thinking how happy I was that I was not included in the work out plan.

"Oh, sad I'm missing all the fun." He looked at me holding back a smile. "Yeah, I bet you are. Come on princess get your ass out of bed, breakfast will be up soon." More kisses followed and I was carried out of my bed and into the shower.

We finished breakfast, Julie and I said goodbye to the boys and we were on our way to be pampered for the next few hours. As soon as we arrived in the lobby, Thomas quickly came our way and greeted us. "Ladies, good morning I will escort you to the spa where you will spend several hours being treated like princesses." Immediately on arrival we were shown to a lounging area and offered an array of pastries, fruits and drinks. Of course, we couldn't really be rude and decline the generous offer now could we and besides, I am eating for two now.

After four plus hours of massages, mud baths, facials, body wraps, waxing of body parts and Brazilian blow out, manicures, pedicures topped off with makeovers we were finished and we both turned to look at each other, we looked gorgeous. "Jules, you, we look amazing look at us." I commented looking at Julie.

"We look more than gorgeous, we are sizzling hot and you know it. Heads are gonna turn in the lobby I can tell you that." She answered with a smile.

"I feel like what's her name from Pretty Woman" I said looking in the mirror and touching my hair, it looked unbelievable. It's supposed to last up to twelve weeks and if the blowout does what it's supposed to do, I may just have this done again. Three months of not having to work my ass off trying to get my hair to look reasonable is exactly what I need and knowing Ranger he will research the process to see if it's ok to do while pregnant.

"Well ladies, what do you think?" our spa hostess asked, Julie and I both replied at the same time.

"Awesome especially the hair."

Our hostess smiled at us, "Mrs. Manoso your hair was a little more difficult than normal but I guarantee you will love it." I signed the receipt and left an ample tip and we made our way back to our room.

"Stephanie, Julie you both are absolutely beautiful." Thomas graciously stated as Julie and I both blushed.

"Why thank you, the spa was awesome, thank you for taking care of it for us." I replied as Thomas walked us to the elevator and we put in our key card taking the elevator to our suite.

"Hey Steph, what do you think dad will say?" Julie asked. "Honey, I have no idea but we'll soon find out." I said as I took her arm and walked out the elevator to our door. We walked in to find our suite was quiet.

"Hello boys, we're home." I sang out as we walked towards the room that was set up as the office. We walked inside as Ranger and my Merry Men instantly stopped what they were doing and stared mouths wide open, eyeballs looking back and forth between Julie and me with smiles that reached all the way to their eyes. The guys stared as if they were seeing us for the first time.

"Julie, you are beautiful, you're so grown up." Ranger said to his daughter as he kissed her, I told them to hold on so I could take a picture of the two of them. After taking their picture Ranger came over to me putting his hands on my shoulders his eyes were twinkling "Babe, you are gorgeous, what did you do to your hair?" He kissed me and played with my hair.

"It's a Brazilian blow out, a process that they do to straighten the hair. Do you like it?" I asked my stunned husband staring at me. "It will take some getting used to but I like it." He answered.

"Well you've got three months to get used to it because that's about how long this is supposed to last." I said as he took my face in his hands and gave me a huge luscious kiss in front of everyone.

My Merry Men were in total shock seeing my hair straight, all they said was "look at you, no crazy hair" they were funny.

"Well boss, with these two gorgeous ladies, we have to take them out and show them off. How about dinner away from the hotel with these beauties?" Lester asked

"Take care of it." Ranger replied as he took my hand and led me to our bedroom and Julie started giggling.

"Babe, you are absolutely stunning, it will take some time getting used to you with straight hair, I'll miss the crazy curls." My husband said and kissed me like there was no tomorrow and I gave it right back to him. I was so relaxed that I was actually a little tired from the day of pampering. I wanted to take a nap.

"Honey I'm a little tired, join me in a nap?" I asked leading him to our bed. "I can't think of anything better I'd rather do Babe."

Ranger and I had just gotten comfortable on our bed when there was a knock on the door. "Come in" Ranger growled.

"Boss dinner is at 1900, high end restaurant so dress appropriately." Lester informed us with a smirk on his face. Apparently he enjoyed telling his boss how to dress.

"Fine, now leave smart ass." Ranger got up and followed Lester to the door and locked it. He then joined me back in our bed.

"I'm going to ravish you." Said the gorgeous man staring deeply into my eyes. "Ok but don't ruin my hair." I said kissing him and ravish me he did.

I fell asleep with strong arms wrapped around me and woke up to the alarm the same way. We each shared about our day and talked about random things until it was time for me to get ready. I didn't have to do too much to get ready. I just touched up my makeup and brushed my hair. I chose a blue and silver ankle length halter dress with silver sandals. I picked out black pants with a black linen shirt for Ranger, it was the type of shirt that doesn't get tucked into his pants, when he wears his shirts loose he looks extremely yummy, OK so who am I kidding he looks yummy no matter what he wears.

When I finished dressing I walked into the bedroom to an awaiting gorgeous man in black holding a black velvet box. "Mrs. Manoso, happy early mother's day." I opened the box to find a beautiful Black Diamond eternity ring and a 3 Row Black Diamond Bracelet in platinum with round black diamonds.

"Honey these are beautiful, but aren't you a little ahead of the game?" I said laughing. "Babe, you know I am always two steps ahead of the game." I took the ring and bracelet out of the box and he put them on for me.

"Ranger, thank you so much, you spoil me way too much you know that?" I told him kissing him. "You deserve it and much more, you don't let me spoil you the way I want." My generous husband replied.

"Take a look at what I bought for Julie." I opened the box and inside was a three cord black leather bracelet with round diamond platinum heart that frames a smaller rose gold heart.

"Oh Ranger this is perfect for Julie, I love it and she is going to absolutely love it. I can't wait to see her face. Come on, let's go out to the living room and you can give it to her."

We walked into the living room to whistles from my Merry Men. "Bomber, you look stunning, I love that straight hair, it's a good look for you" said Ram. Ranger joined Julie on the couch then handed her the black velvet box. Her eyes were huge.

"Dad what is this?" she asked eyes sparkling. "It's a gift from baby Manoso for his or her older sister." She opened the box with shiny eyes dancing.

"Dad, Steph this is beautiful, I love it." She said smiling. "Julie, your dad gets all the credit, he picked it out" I informed her. Ranger put the bracelet on Julie's wrist and the look on his face was priceless.

Julie took my hand and looked at my jewelry. "Steph, those are beautiful." She kissed her dad and gave him a hug so tight that I didn't think she would let go of him.

There are so many things that I love about Ranger and if I had to list them I would need at least two or three note pads. One of the things I absolutely love love love about my husband is his ability to show me how much he truly loves.

"OK ladies and gentlemen, its dinner time" Lester announced shaking the car keys at us. "We have reservations at California Grill which is located at the Contemporary Resort, shall we make our way?" He said with the energy of a tour guide as we all walked towards the elevator.

The restaurant was beautiful. We were seated by a huge picture window with a gorgeous view of the Seven Seas Lagoon and Magic Kingdom. The food looked wonderful and I knew that it was going to be a great evening. After dinner, we returned back to our hotel and played games it was a really good day.

I was excited about the safari which woke me up early, I stood watching my sexy man looking relaxed and comfortable in the bed. I went to the bathroom and hopped in the shower all while my sleepy head husband continued sleeping. I wasn't about to wake him up since he never ever has the opportunity to sleep late, even when he is sick he wakes up early.

Ranger was waking up as I came out of the bathroom, I rarely get to see him like this since he's always up before me, but he is even sexier. "Good morning my sexy sleepy head." I greeted him and kissed him.

"Babe, not all of me is sleepy, trust me on that." He reached out and rolled me on top of him covering me with the sheet and had his way with me and I was happy to let him. Hey it's not my fault, the baby is making my hormones rage.

Since we were going on a safari, it didn't make sense to fuss with makeup and thankfully my hair was in perfect shape so I put it up in a ponytail. I chose to wear leggings and a long t-shirt and I was good to go. Ranger never takes more than 3 ½ minutes to get ready so we were ready in record time. We walked out of our room to an anxious group and to a dining room table of pastries, bagels, fruit and coffee. We were eating light because our safari was to include breakfast and lunch.

Natalie, Darla, Susan, Christina, Martha and Claudette were waiting eagerly for us in the lobby and Natalie was licking her lips when she spotted Lester. That woman sure doesn't hide her feelings. I can't say that I blame her though. We greeted one another and made our way to the park telling the ladies to follow us.

We arrived at the park and were directed to an area to listen to all the rules and regulations on what to do and what not to do and finally what to expect. Our group was taken to the VIP area where we were given our gear to wear, harnesses etc. The guide was telling us about the safety issues and that expectant mothers should not participate. Ranger, Julie and my Merry Men all looked at me. Manny walked over to the guide and took him aside, they talked for a little bit and he came back to join us.

"Wifey, you're good to go, we just have to keep a watchful eye on you. So PLEASE I BEG OF YOU, no shenanigans." He put his arm around me and gave me a little peck on the cheek grinning.

"Yeah Babe, don't do anything crazy." My smart ass husband chimed in.

We all piled into the safari vehicle and I started singing my Kilimanjaro Safari song I made up. The guide and driver both started to laugh as did the rest of our group. We arrived at a dining area set up in a jungle setting. We were seated at a picnic table and were provided with a menu as we were being served coffee and orange juice.

_Beef and Prosciutto_

_Smoked Salmon_

_Fig cake with Boursin Cheese_

_Berry Yogurt and dried cranberries_

_Fresh fruit marinated in mint and ginger._

It looked pretty decent, Ranger looked very pleased, no doubt this was the upscale equivalent of his bark and twigs. We sat and talked, each of the ladies thanked Ranger and I for including them on this safari and wanted to pay their way. After receiving a few glares from Ranger, they quickly stopped arguing with him. I asked our tour guide to take some pictures of our group and he kindly obliged.

The food was served and it looked amazing and tasted delicious. I took pictures of the food because the presentation was pretty. I managed to eat everything and I have to admit I really enjoyed it. I was stuffed so I opted not to have anything else when they brought out more food. We sat and listened to the tour guide discussing the trip and when we were going to be eating lunch. Once we had relaxed and settled from our meal we followed our guides to our vehicles.

Our first stop was a ledge that had Crocodiles and Hippos 10 feet below us. They were so close it was scary and I guess the crocs were hungry because they were snapping. We drove on and saw lions. The male lions are absolutely beautiful with their mane, they were walking around I guess it was breakfast time for them too. There were also other cats roaming around.

We drove a little further and were met by elephants and giraffes that came right up to our safari vehicle, we were allowed to get out of the vehicle and get up close and personal. We were even allowed to feed them. The elephants were adorable. There was a baby elephant that was so cute and kept moving it's trunk to Lester's man parts, we all laughed and at once we all said it must be a girl. Lester was getting a little nervous, I couldn't stop laughing and taking pictures. We had been given appropriate food to feed them and a giraffe took a huge chunk of food from my hand, Ranger had turned his back which apparently the giraffe did not like so he stood behind Ranger and put his head right above Rangers head and posed for pictures, it was pretty funny.

We got back in the vehicle and drove further to see other animals. We walked over a shaky rickety rope bridge above some water. I nervously looked to make sure there were no crocodiles below before I walked on the bridge. For the guys, this was no big deal, our guide was pretty impressed with them. The guys each helped the ladies while Ranger helped Julie and me, making sure we were ok.

We saw Zebras, Rhinos, various birds, monkeys and an area that housed reptiles. I didn't really stay inside there for too long, actually I didn't even go in I stuck my head in and walked out quickly. We drove on and our guide announced it was time for lunch. They directed our group to another dining area and we were seated at a large table, there were only two other private groups. This VIP tour costs $249.00 per adult, yikes but so far well worth it. We were served lemonade, flavored water and variety of soft drinks and presented with a lunch menu.

_Chicken Curry Salad_

_Sun dried tomato Hummus and pita bread_

_Marinated tandoori Shrimp_

_Smoked Salmon_

_Beef and Prosciutto_

_Fresh fruit marinated in mint and ginger._

Again, Ranger was pleased with the selections and I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed the food, it was all very delicious and I opted for another round of the Chicken Salad, fruit and more lemonade. I was not expecting food this delicious on the tour, I figured it would be sandwiches, nothing this elaborate. We were all sitting around talking, taking pictures and using the bathrooms and relaxing until it was time to continue.

"Babe, are you feeling OK?" Ranger asked sweetly and with concern. "I am I feel great and no tummy issues.

"Honey are you enjoying the safari, I asked Ranger. "Yes I am, how about you?" he asked me smiling. "Oh man, this is awesome. I can see why it's so expensive for a VIP tour. Thank you for letting us do this even if it costs so much" I replied kissing him.

"You're welcome Babe; I enjoy seeing you this happy."

It was time to continue with the tour and I was amazed at how close we were able to get to the animals, it was almost like being on a real safari. Ranger and I have talked about going on an African Safari trip but that will have to wait, this certainly makes up for it and is just as good.

Our three hour tour was over and driving back to the main entrance our tour guide was talking and asking us what we enjoyed most throughout the trip the driver said "well at least you didn't get stranded you all did better than Gilligan." We arrived at the lot and got out of the vehicle laughing as I started singing another made up song of course to the Gilligan theme.

_The tour was over and they were safe_

_And the Mate didn't cause any trouble_

_Bossman was very happy he didn't have to bail her out_

_The trip was fun with animals roaming all around_

_A giraffe almost ate Bossman's head while the badass Mate just laughed and laughed_

_A baby girl elephant fell in love and Lester almost lost his nuts_

_He was pretty scared and nervous that he would be her lunch_

_The Rangeman group had a wonderful time along with all their guests_

_Memories were definitely made here on Kilimanjaro Safari's three hour tour_

"Babe, seriously?" Ranger said as he wrapped his arm around me pulling me into him.

"What?"

The tour guide and the driver were cracking up and they started clapping while Ranger, my Merry Men and the ladies were laughing. Julie was shaking her head clearly a little embarrassed and I just bowed quite proud of my performance.

Julie wanted to go again on the rides, I told Ranger to go with her. Manny and Woody were going to drive us back to the hotel and then Woody would head back to meet up with everyone else while Manny and I hung out. "Babe, are you sure you don't want me to come back with you?" Ranger asked. "I'm sure, you stay and spend time with Julie. We only have a few more days." I assured him as I stood on my toes to kiss him on the tip of his nose. "OK if you insist." He replied kissing me back.

"Manny, you call me immediately if Steph starts to feel sick or anything like that understand?" Ranger ordered. "Understood boss. I'll take care of Wifey." Manny answered.

We drove to our hotel. When we arrived Woody headed back to the park while Manny and I went to our room to put away the souvenirs that we bought. I put everyone's bags in their room and put mine away. Manny and I sat in the living room talking. "Wifey, want to play scrabble?" I smiled got up and walked to the table and set up the game while Manny got us drinks. We played a few rounds of scrabble and I was done with games.

"Hubs, how about we go walking around the property?" I asked. "OK that sounds good, let's go Wifey." I sent Ranger a text letting him know the plans in case they came back while we were gone. Manny and I walked along the beach talking about all sorts of things, he is super easy to talk to and he doesn't share much but he does with me and it makes me feel good that he does open up to me.

"Wifey, how do you feel about the baby?" I looked at him and contemplated the question. "I am scared, more scared than I have been with anything else that's happened in my life. I don't know how to be a mom, you know that my relationship with my own mother has never been one that I can look up to." I answered truthfully.

"Steph, no doubt it will be hard but you will tackle motherhood like you do everything else that's come before you. I'm sorry your relationship with your mom has always been rocky, but you also have Ranger's mom, she is a wonderful woman."

"I know Hubs, funny how my life has changed dramatically. I decided to take everyone up on the training and I became much better at my job. I hated working out and exercising but it gave me a better body. I was never sure about getting married or having kids, let alone ever falling in love and here I am, In Love and Married with a baby on the way."

"Wifey, are you happy?" Manny asked as he put his arm around me. "I really really am. I would not have known this type of happiness if I married Joe. Ranger makes me very happy. I just hope that I make him as equally happy." I answered. "Steph, I've known him for a long time and I have never seen this side of him and it is all due to you. I am happy for both of you and you're the sister I have never had and always wanted and am thankful that I get to share all of this with you."

I was suddenly teary eyed, I stopped and kissed him and he pulled me into him and hugged me. I am so blessed to have these men in my life. We walked back to the hotel and Thomas saw us in the lobby and he asked us about our safari and I told him how wonderful it was while he escorted us to the elevator.

"Hey hubs, you know the saying money doesn't buy happiness? Well I think it does, not that I mean it in a selfish greedy way but having money makes you a little extra happy doesn't it? Don't get me wrong, I would be happy with Ranger regardless of his money and it's a continuing bone of contention with us. I still can't get used to being so spoiled."

"Wifey, you deserve this happiness, with all that you've gone through you deserve every bit of it." He gave me a hug and opened the door to our suite. We watched TV and as soon as I sprawled out on the couch I was out for the count, the fresh air does that to me.

I woke up to soft voices and Ranger's beautiful face giving me a 1000 watt smile, he is one gorgeous man. He picked me up and carried me into our room putting me on our bed and joined me as he wrapped me in his cocoon and I was fast asleep again.

It was late when we both woke up from our nap. "What time is it?" I asked rolling and stretching looking at the handsome face smiling at me. "6:30 Babe."

"What do we have planned for tonight?" I asked. "Julie wants to go to the club to meet up with Alex, I don't really feel like going but if you want to go we'll go."

"Why don't you let her go with the guys and we can stay here, we can have a quiet dinner alone." I told my very nervous husband. "Babe, I don't like that idea." He was definitely nervous.

"Honey, she will be fine, there will be four body guards, let her go and have some time without her dad doing surveillance, she will love you even more. The guys will have eyes on her at all times and I am quite sure that Lester's entourage will be there to go to the bathroom with her."

I said pleading and scratching his back softly to relax him. He was quiet for a few minutes then he helped me out of the bed and led me to the living room.

"OK listen up, Stephanie and I are going to have a night to ourselves tonight. Julie you can go to the club and meet up with Alex, the rest of you men are to keep eyes on Julie at all times, do not let her out of your sight, UNDERSTOOD?" Ranger informed everyone.

"Yes boss" they all answered in military fashion. "If the ladies end up meeting you there, I want them to escort Julie to the restroom if not then, she needs to go with one of you standing outside the door, is that understood?" Ranger said without missing a beat. "Yes sir" was the response.

"Dad, seriously isn't that a little over the top?" Julie asked nervously. "No it's not, if you don't like it, you don't go it's that simple." He told his daughter sternly. Julie looked at me and I shrugged my shoulders.

"Come on Jules, I'll help you find something to wear." I took her arm and walked to her room.

"Honey, don't push it, he wasn't going to let you go at all but he came around, you know the guys will give you space without hovering, they'll be on guard with eyes on you but you'll be able to enjoy yourself, trust me on that." I assured my step daughter as we walked to her closet and chose an ankle length sleeveless V-neck dress with a cute pair of sandals. I left her to get ready while I joined everyone in the living room.

"Is she ok?" Ranger asked.

"Yes she understands." I re-assured him and sat down next to him on the couch. My Merry Men decided they were going to shower and get changed, they were going out to dinner for burgers and the entourage would meet them at the restaurant. I am glad that we met these ladies and they followed us here, in spite of the trouble that is Natalie, they are all very nice and the guys are enjoying their company.

"Where would you like to have dinner Babe?" He asked, "Surprise me, all I need to know is what to wear." I replied as I cuddled up next to him. We were talking when Julie came out of her room "how do I look?" she asked twirling around.

She looked so grown up and amazing. "You look beautiful sweetie" I answered the guys all whistled at her. Ranger stood up and walked to his daughter. "Honey you are beautiful" he told her as he kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. "Thank you daddy, I love you." He wrapped his arms around her and they stayed like that for a little bit.

"I love you too sweetheart, have a good time." They all left and Ranger called the concierge to have them make a reservation while I went to the kitchen and brought us raspberry lemonade to drink.

To be honest, I would have been happy sitting on the couch cuddling with Ranger and eating pizza, I've learned to let him do his thing even if it means spoiling me, so to keep peace I go along with it, it doesn't pay to argue with him.

"OK Babe, we're going to Plancha, the Cuban American restaurant in the hotel since we don't have a car. I reserved a table on the terrace it's a beautiful night." We sat drinking our lemonade and we talked about our day and how much fun it was.

We took a shower, I was looking forward to see how easy it was going to be to take care of my hair. It was incredibly easy, all I did was dry it with a brush and poof I was done. I put on makeup and chose a simple sleeveless V-neck black dress that hit above the knee and a pair of black sandals.

I looked in the mirror to make sure I was presentable, "Babe, I'm still not sure about your straight hair but it looks nice." He told me kissing me. "Thank you sir, I am ready to go eat when you are." He took my hand and we walked out to the elevator.

We were seated at a table which was semi-private with a view of the lake, it wasn't that crowded in the restaurant which was nice. We ordered appetizers and Ranger talked about his time with Julie on the rides and their conversations. We talked about Julie and her idea of moving to Trenton to help with the baby, and went over various scenarios. We discussed our current living situation and making changes. It looks like we will be house hunting with the baby coming and Julie possibly moving to Trenton. It was a nice quiet dinner with a lot accomplished.

We went back to our suite to continue our alone time knowing that the gang would be back by 11:30. We enjoyed indulging in crazy wild sex, passionate love making and lots of kissing and fun fun fun. We were out on the terrace during one of our sessions and we had just finished getting dressed sitting on the couch when our children walked in, perfect timing. I would have hated to have been caught in the act.

Julie was so excited she couldn't wait to tell us about her night out with the guys, she came in running jumped on the couch.

"Hi, daddy, thank you for letting me go to the club with the guys. Steph I danced mostly with Alex, the guys each asked me to dance, all the girls there were so jealous it was pretty funny. Alex is so nice, we are going to keep in touch with each other after we leave, they live in Chicago, how far is it from Trenton to Chicago, dad? Steph, Alex told me I looked beautiful tonight. He said I was a great dancer. I think he wanted to kiss me but Ram gave him a glare that scared him."

Good grief, my sweet girl didn't come up for air.

"Whoa whoa, Julie breath, relax." I said to one very excited young lady. She continued telling us about her evening and she quickly got off the couch and skipped into her room telling us she was going to change into her pj's, she is one happy girl. Ranger, not sure what he was contemplating but I am sure he will be grilling the guys once Julie has gone to bed, he's not happy about the almost kiss.

"Almost kissed her, report." Ranger ordered.

"Boss, nothing happened we had eyes on her at all times, it looked like he was making his move to kiss Julie while they were dancing to a slow song, I walked over to them and that put a stop to his plan." Ram replied.

"Do I need to talk to his father?" Ranger asked.

"No sir, I took care of that" answered Manny. I felt Ranger relax and put his arm around me.

Julie came out in her pj's, face washed and ready for bed. She sat down next to me and put her head on my shoulder let out a big sigh "I had such a great time" speaking softly and within minutes she was asleep.

Ranger waited a short time before carrying her off to her bed. I couldn't help but smile at that beautiful sight, I followed him to Julie's room as he carefully laid her on the bed and kissed her goodnight on the forehead, he stood watching her. I joined him, she was angelic, I kissed her cheek and we left her room arm in arm. He is going to be a great father to our baby.

We joined the guys and discussed the rest of our itinerary, we decided to skip the Animal Kingdom tour after the Kilimanjaro Safari there was no need to do both. The guys weren't as interested anymore in the Richard Petty Racing driving. Ranger and I didn't want to take the chance, knowing that I would be safe but we still cancelled.

"We have the Hawaiian Luau and that's it then, our trip will be over?" I asked Ranger. "Yes Babe, but we can spend the remainder of the days in Miami." I was fine with that since I very rarely get to spend much time in Miami.

"OK honey, that's perfect." I answered and kissed him. As we were talking Lester received a text and of course we all knew who it was from. "NO" we all shouted at him. "Curfew still stands Santos" Ranger barked and the rest of us laughed.

I stood up taking my husband by the hand and led him to our bedroom. Tomorrow morning was our character breakfast. Julie and I are having lunch at the castle with the princesses and in the evening is our Hawaiian Luau. "Honey, do you realize that tomorrow is dedicated to nothing but eating?"

He was peppering me with kisses "uh ha, I know" he replied and continued kissing me. "Umm, Ranger your kisses are deadly, sexy and dangerous." And I kissed him back with full force.

I woke up as Ranger was getting ready to go run, "good morning sexy husband, did you sleep well?" I asked as I slid out of bed and wrapped my arms around his neck kissing him I slapped him on his beautiful ass and escorted him out the door.

Julie was still sound asleep, Lester and Ram walked in the door from their work out while Ranger, Manny and Woody left for their miles of running. Since we found out I'm pregnant, my husband has not once suggested I join him in working out. No way was I complaining, I can tell you that.

I sat on the couch talking with Lester, my sweet partner Ram brought coffee over for us, and mine of course was decaf. We were talking when Julie came out of her room, looking like she was still half asleep. She joined us on the couch and cuddled up next to me, playing with my hair, I felt quite emotional. I have to admit this trip has been exactly what Julie and I needed to bring us closer together.

"Well, guys our character breakfast is in a couple of hours, so I'm going to take a shower and get dressed." I informed everyone and walked into my room to get ready.

After I finished getting ready, I joined the guys back in the living room, a few minutes later Julie came out of her room. "Steph, I love our hair, this Brazillian blowout thing is pretty awesome." Julie remarked. "Oh I know Jules, it takes me no time to do my hair, if it does what the salon said it would do I think I will keep doing it." Lester and Ram just shook their heads at our conversation.

"So Beautiful any other types of Brazilian procedures take place during your spa session?" Julie and I looked at each other and stared at him both with our mouths wide open; Ram got a horrified look on his face.

"Santos, you are such an f….UM, idiot you know that?" and Ram smacked Lester upside the head. "Oh lighten up, just teasing." Lester replied rubbing his head, I was just about to bitch at him as Ranger was walking in the door and decided against saying anything. If Ranger knew what Lester said, he'd be thrown off the terrace.

I got up and took out 3 bottles of water from the refrigerator handing them to Ranger, Manny and Woody. Ranger walked to the bedroom with me following him. Our bathroom was huge, it was the size of the bedroom, bathroom, closet and more in my old apartment, and it even had a chaise lounge. I sat on the chaise drinking my decaf coffee watching my sexy husband shower. If I wasn't dressed I would join him in the shower, I was getting quite turned on watching him.

"Babe, can you pick out something for me to wear?" I was in a trance staring at him. "Huh, oh ok." I answered and went to the closet picked out some clothes and decided I was going to help him get dressed.

"Babe?"

I smiled at him, "I usually help you undress so why not help you dress." He smiled and kissed me, "as you wish." And did exactly as I wished, dressing him and kissing him and it was sexy as hell. We joined the rest of our gang in the living room and then off to the elevator for our character breakfast.

The character breakfast was a riot; we interacted with Mickey, Minnie, Tigger, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck and several others. We posed for pictures, the park has rules and regulations as to what we can and can't do with the characters. It was a lot of fun with a buffet of deliciousness, I stuffed my face and wasn't ashamed to do so and to think that lunch was 4 ½ hours away.

Julie wanted to take advantage of the time we have before lunch to go on some rides with her dad. They asked if I wanted to join them but sadly declined. All this time waiting to take this trip and I can't participate in any of the wild rides. Such a bummer.

"Hey I want to go shopping and I need a couple of bag boys, who's up for the challenge?" I asked sweetly. "Beautiful what is a bag boy?" Lester asked with curiosity. "Someone to hold the shopping bags." I said giving the boys fluttering eyelashes and an innocent smile.

"Oh brother, you gotta be kidding me" Woody and Lester sang out, I laughed at them.

"Well boys, you two are it." I wrapped an arm around each of Woody and Lester's leading them out. They were not very happy but they should have kept their mouths shut.

"Drop off Julie at the castle no later than 1:15pm, I'll be there by then." I instructed Ranger walking away with my two bag boys. I was going to put them to work, trust me on that.

We shopped and I was getting a little tired so we stopped off for some drinks, I ordered strawberry lemonade while my bag boys ordered cokes and some snacks. I loved these little bracelet things that allows the wearer free drinks and food. What's not free are items purchased in the stores so we don't have to worry about carrying money or credit cards.

Lester's alarm sounded on his phone, "OK Princess, it's time to deliver you to your castle." He said as Woody stood up holding his hand out to me, I took his hand and my Rangeman princes escorted me to the Castle. I went to the restroom to freshen up a bit and when I came out to join the guys, Ranger was arriving with Julie. I just can't get over how happy they are.

I greeted my family and a few kisses were exchanged between Ranger and me before we went to check in with the hostess. "Babe, I'll leave your bag boys here with you while you have lunch." I have to admit the guys were being great sports about their role as bag boys.

We were treated like royalty, we were shown to our table and had a variety of Princesses come to our table, we had lunch and posed for pictures with Cinderella, Snow White, Belle, and a few others. It was all so wonderful and Julie was so excited, she kept saying how special she feels.

"Jules, throughout this trip you've commented several times about how special you feel, and you say that with happiness but I sense some sadness in there too" I asked and waited as Julie looked at me not knowing how to answer.

"Steph, I tried to hide it but it's not easy with you around." I was very curious and concerned with her response. "Talk to me sweetie" I told her and waited for her to gather her thoughts.

"Everything is OK at home, but I just feel like I'm neglected at times, don't get me wrong I love Mom and Ron big time but my brother and sister get all the attention and I just feel like I'm in the way at times." She explained with some sadness.

"Honey, that's to be expected, babies require attention and you're so much older and independent that it may seem to your parents you don't need the attention you would like." I said hoping I was saying the right thing.

We sat for a few short minutes as she looked at me.

"You know even if you weren't going to have a baby, I was going to talk to you and Dad during this trip about moving to Trenton after school was out but now with the baby, it gives me even more reason." She looked so sad at that moment and I was searching for the right words.

"Honey, you never need any reason what so ever to come visit or even live with us, trust me on that, we love you. I adore you and your dad loves you to the moon and back even more so now that you've had this time to bond with each other."

I held her hand and rubbed her knuckles.

"Stephanie, this trip has been awesome and you're right Dad and I have gotten so much closer and I love the relationship we've built, especially the three of us. Are you sure you're ok with me possibly moving to Trenton?" She gave me a worried look. "Honey, it is absolutely ok but like your Dad said, your parents have the final say. But remember you always have a place in our home, even if we weren't preggers." I assured my step daughter.

"Stephanie, it's not like they're mean to me or ignore me but I always seem to play second fiddle when it comes to my brother and sister and I don't like it much." Julie replied with honesty.

"Honey, I know exactly how you feel, I have always been in the shadow of my sister Val. My mom thinks she can do no wrong. Many times I have felt like the black sheep of the family, she is perfect and I am a screw up, so I know all about those feelings." I said truthfully.

"Really Steph, so you know what I'm talking about, you know exactly what I mean." She said relieved that someone actually understood. I smiled at her and held her hand a little tighter.

"Sweetie, yes I totally get it, I know exactly where you're coming from. You are a very special part of your Dad's life and mine too and I know your Dad would be ecstatic to have you living in Trenton, having said that it doesn't mean the answer is yes but we both would be extremely happy to have you live with us."

Julie had a huge smile on her face and got up giving me a hug and kiss, "I love you Steph." She sat back in her seat and I started to feel a few tears.

"I love you too sweetie."

We finished our lunch and went out to meet my bag boys. They held out their arms and we each walked out with our Prince Charming meeting up with Ranger, Manny and Ram. We walked to our car returning back to our hotel. I was tired so a nap was in my future, I wanted to be nice and rested for our Hawaiian Luau tonight. Tomorrow afternoon we were going to leave and head to Miami.

Julie went into her room to call home and text her friends. Ranger made her promise not to post anything about this trip on her social media pages for security reasons and she was holding to her word. Ranger has all her login information and he threatened her with logging in sporadically, even though he hasn't so far.

Ram was in his room talking with Victoria, Manny, Woody and Lester were skyping with Tank and the office, while Ranger and I went to our room. We were cuddling together on our bed, I told him about the conversation with Julie. I did mention to Julie that I would share this with her fatger and she was fine with it.

"So what do you think about what Julie brought up?" I asked him

"I understand it; the kids are still young and will of course take away all the attention from her. I am glad the two of you talked about it. Thank you Babe for loving my daughter so much." Ranger said as he kissed me.

"Will you talk to her and reassure her?" I said as I kissed him back, actually I kissed him several times. I so enjoy kissing him. Well the kissing led to touching, licking, undressing with a few orgasms and all around adult fun, I was not about to complain. As I lay with strong loving arms wrapped around me, Ranger gently rubbed my belly, I felt him smiling and I relaxed to the rhythm of his breathing then I fell asleep.

Orgasms and a nap is exactly what I needed especially since baby Manoso is making me tired and causing my hormones to go crazy. I woke up to my smiling sexy husband and reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Thank you" kiss, kiss, "Thank you" kiss, kiss. "Have I told you lately how much I love you Ranger?" kissing him repeatedly. "Well actually, it has been a day or so now that you mention it." He replied with a huge grin on his face.

"Well I do my very sexy Cuban husband. I love you with all my heart and soul." I told him hugging him tightly, he rolled out of bed and carried me into the bathroom, and I put my hair up in a ponytail and was gently placed in a tub full of warm bubbly Bulgari scented water and received a very sensual bath by an extremely sexy man. We spent some time bathing each other and talking about Julie, yeah I know not a typical conversation during a sensual bath but somehow it worked.

We finished bathing and dressing, before we walked out of our room, Ranger stopped me turning me to him staring at me.

"What?" I asked as he continued staring at me.

"Babe, just admiring how beautiful you are, I always thought of your looks as the girl next door type, honestly you are the most gorgeous woman I have ever laid my eyes on." With his eyes dancing looking deeply into my eyes, he gave me a kiss that was so loving and hungry at the same time it made all my toes and probably my hair curl. I ran to the mirror to make sure that my hair didn't go back to its unruly curl.

"Babe?"

I laughed, "Nothing just checking to make sure that my hair didn't go back to curls after that kiss. Whew, that was some kiss."

I walked back to him and kissed him taking his hand and we walked out the bedroom to everyone waiting patiently.

"Well it's about time, do you two ever just have a day without sex?" Lester spouted, what the hell is his problem with his snide remarks which aren't even funny. Ranger growled, Julie had a look of shock and Manny, Woody and Ram moved towards him while I saw major badass Ranger appear and was making his way towards Lester but I stopped him.

"Santos, follow me to the office NOW." I barked out and walked to the office, he walked in with his tail in between his legs and I slammed the door shut.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, I'm getting sick and tired of these snide remarks you're making about our sex life, are you jealous or what? If it continues, our friendship is over, Ranger won't be the one kicking your ass to the curb I will. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?" I shouted to him.

I stood there waiting for him to answer staring him down, not that he was scared he needed to know I meant business. He was shifting from one foot to another looking at his shoes when Ranger stormed in to the office, now Lester was a little scared.

"Santos, this is the last time we are having this discussion, if you ever make a remark like that again or anything involving my and Stephanie's personal life, I won't hesitate to inflict bodily harm and ship you off somewhere, family or not. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" Ranger growled in Lester's face.

"Yes sir, sorry boss. Sorry Steph." Lester replied embarrassed. I asked Ranger to leave the office because I wanted to talk to Les alone, Ranger hesitated and left the room still angry.

"Les, seriously are you that jealous of the relationship Ranger and I have? It seems to me that you are with your comments about our sex life and asking about the Brazilian procedure at the Spa that was totally uncalled for." I stared at him waiting for him to respond.

"I never really thought about it, but I guess I might be." He said

"Listen to me Les, when you continually asked me out before Ranger and I got together do you know why I never took you up on it?" He was taken aback.

"Why?" He answered eagerly interested.

"I never could take you seriously, you were and still are the biggest man whore I've ever met in my life and although I trust you with my life as a colleague, friend and brother, I would never trust you with my heart." I spoke candidly.

"Steph, that hurts me deeply that you think like that." He was floored.

"Listen to what I said, I would never trust you with my heart, my life yes but not my heart." He was flabbergasted at my statement. "I didn't know you felt that way Steph."

"I love you as a brother and always will but you have to stop making these stupid ass comments, it will hurt our relationship as well as your relationship with Ranger and I don't want that to ever happen." I said seriously.

"Have you ever thought about seeking a real and meaningful long term relationship with someone instead of dicking around? Think about what I've said and if you value the relationship you, Ranger and I have, I suggest you keep your mouth zipped about our sex life and anything about my body parts."

"You're right Beautiful, I am sorry, I really am, I don't want to do anything that will jeopardize our relationship I promise and when we get back, I want you to help me meet some quality ladies." Lester replied eagerly.

"All right, that's a deal" I told him as I kissed his cheek and led him out of the office to join the rest of our group.

"Everything ok Babe?" Ranger asked in over protective mode. "Yes honey." I answered taking his hand.

"We just had one of those 'come to Jesus meetings' Stephanie has shown me the error of my ways. I'm sorry everyone for the snide remarks. Julie, sweetie I apologize for being rude. Come on folks, the Hawaiian luau awaits." Lester took Julie by the hand and we walked to the elevator. As we arrived in the lobby, Ram and Manny went to get the car, I took Ranger off to the side.

"Honey, please don't stay mad, I gave him an earful and told him if it continues, I'd be kicking his ass to the curb." I squeezed his arm.

"Babe, you never disappoint." He answered with a smirk on his face and kissed my nose.

We arrived at the park where the Luau was going to take place and the ladies were waiting for us. As we made our way to where we would be seated we noticed Alex and his family were seated at another area. Julie had a smile on her face and it spoke volumes as to what was going on through her mind. She turned and looked at us about to say something.

"Yes, they can join us go ahead and ask." Ranger informed his daughter, she started to walk to Alex with Woody behind. She was one happy young lady. Manny walked to the host to ask if we could add four additional guests to our group.

"The host will set up our area to accommodate Alex and his family." Manny said, as we followed our host and waited for the fun to begin.

The Luau was so much fun, the food was delicious, the male dancers were awesome. Our host came over to us and asked Julie, Alex's sister Tina and I to follow him, Ranger was not happy about that, he immediately stood up and the host assured him we would be fine. Ranger gave Manny a look that only a trained eye could spot and Manny followed us.

We were fitted with grass skirts and joined other ladies on the stage joining the professional hula dancers. It was a blast, Julie and I were cracking up but after a few attempts we were able to get coordinated enough to somewhat dance. We finished after a couple of dances and were shown back to our table. We were told we could keep the grass skirts. So add that to my collection, belly dancer outfit and now a grass skirt, I'm gonna have some fun with Ranger.

To soon the Luau was over, the entertainers had gone away while the crew was cleaning up, we sat around talking with everyone in our group. We told everyone we were heading out the next day so we said goodbye, the ladies thanked Ranger and I again for including them in this trip and for letting them join us. Natalie asked the guys if they wanted to go out for a few drinks, they agreed saying they would meet them after they dropped us off at the hotel.

Ranger, Julie and I arrived at the hotel and went to our suite, we sat on the couch and talked about our day, Julie has had so much fun on this trip.

"Julie, Steph shared with me about the conversation the two of you had at lunch. I am sorry that you feel like you come second compared to your siblings. You do know that it's not intentional right?" She sat with her legs curled up and moved closer to her dad.

"I know that daddy, but it hurts and I want you both to know that is not the reason I want to come live with you guys."

"Baby, I know." Ranger assured her. "We'll be in Miami a few days so after we drop you off, you spend some time with everyone and we'll pick you up for brunch and Stephanie and I will talk to your mom and Ron about it. As I said before they have the final say."

"Daddy, if they say yes, do I have to wait until school is out?"

"Yes Julie, it's important for you to finish this semester of school, it's only a few months." Ranger told his daughter.

"Sweetheart, let's discuss all this with your mom and we'll go from there, know this if you do move to Trenton, the baby will take a lot of our time and will be a different lifestyle for us but I promise you Steph and I will do our best to make sure you never feel like you're playing second fiddle."

"Jules, if you ever feel like we are I want you to call us out on it, understood?" I told her.

"I promise Steph," she reached over and pulled us into a group hug.

"How about a game of scrabble?" I asked my little family. Ranger called room service for a few pitchers of strawberry lemonade while Julie set up the scrabble game. Within a few minutes our drinks arrived and we sat down to enjoy an evening of scrabble and drinks. My Merry Men came in at the stroke of midnight, Lester walked straight to his room saying goodnight without even looking at us, the rest of the guys sat with us for a while before we all called it a night.

Ranger and I got into bed and talked for a while. I was sad to see the trip end, Ranger not so much he gets very antsy being away from work for this length of time.

"Have you enjoyed this trip Ranger?" I asked "Uh ha" he answered kissing me. "How about you Babe?"

I smiled; "I sure did" purring to his kisses, there was no doubt that my sexy Cuban was yet again letting me know the next activity we were going to participate in.

"What did you like best oh handsome husband of mine?" I asked drinking in his kisses. "The day we found out you're pregnant." I smiled rolled him on his back and got on top of him,

"I'm taking charge of this activity." And I charged my way into pure pleasure and Ranger induced satisfaction. We were both satiated and fell asleep with arms wrapped around each other.

We woke up to the alarm, jumped in the shower and got dressed, we were going to have breakfast in our suite since we all needed to pack. I went to the kitchen and started the coffee. Julie woke up just as the guys came in the door from working out, I couldn't stop staring at Lester. "What the hell?" I asked startled. "Nothing Beautiful, walked into a wall while working out." That answer was a big fat lie but apparently he was not going to share details.

I called room service telling them we wanted to order a buffet style breakfast and they were happy to comply. Ten minutes later there was a knock on the door, we were brought pitchers of orange juice, apple juice, decaf coffee and pitchers of water with orange and lime slices, we were told that our buffet would be up in about thirty minutes.

Julie went back in her room to take a shower and pack her bags. I went back into our room and packed our suitcase. I left two days of clothing aside to pack in an overnight bag so we didn't have to unload our suitcase while in Miami. The knock on the door meant our buffet was being delivered and ready to set up.

There was plenty of food and a variety to make everyone happy, Ranger was happy with his bark and twigs, the guys pigged out knowing this was their last day to indulge in the forbidden foods and I really didn't care because I was now eating for two. I am going to take advantage since Ranger isn't getting on my case yet.

My Merry Men took our luggage to the car to load. While they were gone I did a walk through to make sure there was nothing left in our or Julie's room. I wasn't worried about the guys, they're pretty meticulous about things and we went down to the lobby to check out.

Thomas greeted us and printed up our receipt Ranger signed off on the charges, I took a peak at the 1000 page receipt. I was shocked at the total and of course my ever so astute husband didn't miss a trick and saw my reaction.

"Babe!"

Babe means a multitude of things and this Babe definitely meant drop it or else I'll ship you to a country that ends with stan with only a bottle of water. I quickly complied, Ranger doesn't scare me anymore except when I get this particular Babe. Thomas and Ranger shook hands then walked to me.

"Mrs. Manoso, I mean Stephanie, it has been a pleasure to serve you and I have enjoyed meeting you and your group. You truly have been a joy to take care of, please come back and visit us again. Mr. Manoso, your wife and daughter are a delight such genuine and unpretentious ladies."

"Thank you Thomas, you have been very helpful, thank you for all you did to make this trip enjoyable for us." Ranger shook his hands and handed Thomas an envelope. Thomas tried to argue but Ranger gave him one of his glares and the conversation ended. I laughed and gave Thomas a quick hug and peck on the cheek.

We all piled into the car and made our way to Miami. I was kind of sad that the trip was coming to an end, it's been wonderful I'm not ready for reality.

The drive was uneventful, conversations and the occasional request to change the music. It took us a little over four hours because I had to make a couple of bathroom and snack stops, I wasn't hungry because of our huge breakfast but needed to nibble because the baby was hungry.

We arrived at Ron and Rachel's house and we were invited inside and Rachel offered us drinks to which we declined.

"Rachel, if it's ok we'd like to have brunch with Julie tomorrow before we head back to Trenton." Ranger asked. "Of course it's ok" Ron replied. Julie walked us to the car, she hugged the guys and gave me a hug, then she hugged her dad in a way that told how much she loved him.

"Daddy, Steph thank you so much for including me on this trip, I had the best time of my life. I can't wait to see you for brunch tomorrow." She kissed him again and walked to the door turned around and waved goodbye.

As we drove to the office, Ranger was a little pensive I am pretty sure he was missing his daughter already. They built such a close bond during this trip and I couldn't be happier. I hope that Rachel and Ron hear us out when we talk to them about Julie moving to Trenton. We arrived at the office and we went inside, said hello to everyone and I immediately went upstairs to the apartment I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open.

I walked inside the apartment and dropped onto the bed and I slept for two hours, I woke up to a growling stomach. "Babe, the beast and baby are calling." Ranger said kissing me.

"They aren't the only ones hungry." I got out of bed and went to take care of my bladder and washed up.

"Silvio, Salvador and Rico want to take us all out to dinner, are you up for that?" Ranger asked. "I sure am" I said and pulled out something to wear and we met everyone downstairs and headed out.

Dinner at a Cuban restaurant was delicious, the company was great, Salvador and Rico were so funny with their stories Ranger, Lester, Salvador and Rico grew up together. Rico was sharing stories about their childhood and I am sure he embellished a few, I laughed so hard my sides were killing me. We went home and I went straight to bed and sleep took over and I was in another world.

We picked up Julie and went to brunch, she told us that her and Alex texted back and forth yesterday, told her parents about the entire trip and she went on and on.

"So guys, I talked to mom and dad last night about me moving to Trenton, we got into an argument about it. I explained to them about how I feel and all that. Mom wasn't too happy, she blamed you for putting ideas in my head." Ranger and I were a little taken aback about what she told us.

"Julie, you should have waited for all of us to talk to them, of course your mom would think I put ideas in your head." Ranger replied calmly.

"Daddy, she finally realized you didn't put ideas in my head, after that they both listened to everything I had to say and said that we would discuss it when you dropped me off after brunch." Julie explained.

We ate our food while talking about the forthcoming discussion between Ranger, Rachel and Ron. I was going to try my best to keep out of it unless I was asked my opinion or thoughts. We finished up and drove back to Julie's house.

Rachel opened the door, she wasn't too happy but she was polite and we sat down while she brought us some lemonade.

"So Julie told us about her idea of moving to Trenton, are you two sure that you didn't put any ideas in her head?" Rachel asked us point blank. I suddenly became very defensive. Ranger took my hand to calm me down.

"Rachel, Ron let me assure you neither Stephanie nor I put any ideas in Julies head. We did discuss it while we both were adamant that you two have the final say."

"Mom, they didn't say anything to me honestly, it was all my idea." Julie responded.

"Rachel and I will discuss it further and we will let you know our decision in the next couple of weeks." Ron informed us. Ranger thanked them for considering it and we got up to leave. Julie followed us to the car and hugged and kissed us both, she hugged Ranger again.

"Daddy, I am going to miss you. I had such a great time with you and Steph. Drive carefully and check in with me during your trip back ok?" our sweet girl said and kissed us one last time.

We drove back to the office, picked up the guys and they loaded our things in the car and I ran inside real quick to use the bathroom and came back out to my husband and Merry Men waiting patiently with Manny driving.

I pulled out my tablet, "Hey how long of a drive back to Trenton?" I asked innocently. "Eighteen hours Babe if we drive straight through" Ranger answered.

"That's it, why did it take us so long to get here when we began this trip." I asked because I was really confused and they all stared at me eyes wide open.

"What! Beautiful did you just ask why it took us an eternity to get here? You gotta be kidding me." Lester exclaimed.

Manny added his two cents, "Wifey, you made us stop at every roadside attraction imaginable remember?"

I looked at him "Yeah but it couldn't have taken us that long."

"Babe, you turned an eighteen hour trip into three days." Ranger added.

"Oh" was all I could respond with. They all sat and stared at me, I held up my tablet and looked at them with a smile.

"Men, we each take four hour driving shifts with only a few stops. No deviating from that, got it?" Ranger ordered. "Yes boss, got it" My Merry Men all replied.

"But guys, I've mapped out places of interest for us to stop and visit on our way back home, can't we do that?" I asked.

"NO, NO, OH HELL NO" erupted throughout the car and Manny put the car in gear, pulling out of the parking lot with tires screeching.

"Guys, why not?" I asked.

"Babe."

And I was met with a chorus of "OH HELL NO, BOMBER. FUCKING HELL NO."

_**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**_

_**A/N: Trip has come to an end, Epilog will be my next update. There will be a sequel.**_

All information regarding Disney and roadside attractions were pulled from the internet.

All mistakes are mine, original characters are mine, others belong to JE, and she lets me play with them.

I hope you've all enjoyed the trip.

Thank you for the kind reviews and comments, you are all very sweet.

As always, _**MUCH THANKS**_ to my sweet creative side of my brain Susan Peters, she's the bomb of editing. Thank you Susan for reminding me that Orlando is not on the ocean. Whoops. I had the pleasure of meeting her on my way to Chicago, we had a nice lunch in Lexington KY, wish it was longer.


	18. In Love and Married Epilogue

**In Love and Married**

**Epilogue **

**One Year Later**

**Previously**

"_But guys, I've mapped out places of interest for us to stop and visit on our way back home, can't we do that?" I asked._

"_NO, NO, OH HELL NO" erupted throughout the car and Manny put the car in gear, pulling out of the parking lot with tires screeching._

"_Guys, why not?" I asked._

"_Babe." _

_And I was met with a chorus of "OH HELL NO, BOMBER. FUCKING HELL NO."_

_**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO**_

Things sure have changed in my life, for the better that's for sure. Let me fill you in on what has happened since our trip.

Manny burned rubber when we left Miami, the marks are still visible to this day. Silvio says he doesn't have the heart to get the lot re-paved especially after he heard the story. The guys were relentless and wouldn't give up until I gave them my tablet and phone which they held hostage until we returned back to Trenton, I wasn't allowed anything with any internet availability. I know damn well they all enjoyed our trip, even if they act like it was torture.

On our last night at Disney the guys went to meet the ladies for drinks and when they came home Lester didn't even look at us, he went straight into his room and the next day he had the beginning of bruises, black eye and a seriously bruised nose. When I questioned him he said he walked into a wall while working out. Did he think I was stupid?

It turns out that when the guys and the ladies were leaving the club, they were met by a man leaning up against Natalie's car. A very unhappy and pissed off Mr. Natalie. Oh yeah her husband showed up, not sure how he found her but that's not important. He approached Natalie and Lester became defensive and told him to leave Natalie alone. Unbeknownst to Lester it was her husband.

The way Ram told the story was, in the middle of Lester talking the husband cold cocked him in the face. Lester punched back and a fight ensued. Larry, Natalie's husband left with a broken nose, bruises and according to Natalie a broken arm. Lester returned to Trenton with a big black eye, cuts, bruises, and a fractured wrist.

Ranger was pissed I mean he was fuming he was so mad. We spent the first two hours of the trip back home listening to Ranger rant and rave about Lester and his wandering dick. I finally had to calm him down for fear of a heart attack, that's how angry he was. Lester was going to be on light duty for a while so he was blessed with monitor duty from the minute we arrived until Bobby cleared him for field duty. Needless to say my mission of finding him quality women was going to be sooner than I anticipated, I had my work cut out for me. Other than Lester's face, our trip home was pretty uneventful.

We stoppped off in Berryville, VA to have dinner with Victoria and Stephany, Ram had asked if we could do that and Ranger agreed. It was good to see them again.

We arrived in Trenton to an excited and welcoming Rangeman Family. Tank met us in the garage and he pulled me out of the car telling me I was never allowed to be gone for that length of time ever again. The guys took our bags up to our apartment while Ranger and I joined everyone on the 5th floor for a brief visit. Calling the visit short we went back to our apartment to get some much needed rest as did my Merry Men.

Ella had arranged a wonderful welcome home dinner for everyone. With most of the guys gathered we passed out the gifts we bought for the staff and Hector took the opportunity to put on the video of the trip. He had put together a wonderful DVD with all the pictures and videos. He had added music and it was like watching a comedy movie. I didn't know that Manny recorded the two songs I made up. Hector had the actual music playing in sync to my singing. It really was a great video, I asked for extra copies to keep. Yes even Lester's run in with Mr. Natalie was in the video. The video ended with the conversation I had with the guys about me mapping out stops and the guys shouting hell no. It really was hysterical.

Hector did a fantastic job. Watching it had us all cracking up. Hector purposely didn't show it to anyone until we got back. The entire Rangeman staff was in hysterics.

It was hard to get back into the flow of things, but the first order of business was making an appointment with my doctor to get confirmed results. Bobby did blood work and it was a yes then off to the doctor we went.

I was a nervous wreck sitting in the waiting room, even though three tests gave us positive results, I was still afraid that they may not be accurate. Ranger of course insisted on joining me in the examination room and the doctor examined me while my husband held my hand. After I finished dressing, the doctor came back into the room. She had a nondescript look on her face which of course worried me. After a few minutes she confirmed, we were pregnant. She gave me all the do's and don'ts of pregnancy along with the nutritional guidelines. Ranger assured my doctor that he would make sure I followed her instructions regarding eating and exercising.

We decided we were going to wait at least one more month before we told our family and friends the good news just in case. The only ones we shared this with was my Merry Men, obviously Bobby and Tank. Hector decided he was going to be my personal protector and pretty excited about being an uncle.

Rachel had called Ranger to schedule a face-time phone call to discuss the subject of Julie moving to Trenton. I again began to get nervous though my Spidey senses were not sky rocketing, I was still very nervous. Ranger and I were up in our apartment, he had asked Hector to hook up the laptop to the TV and all he had to do was turn it on and we saw Rachel, Ron and Julie on a big screen.

Ron started the conversation off saying that they had thought about it quite a lot since we left Miami and with hesitation they approve Julie moving to Trenton, however with stipulations. Her school work will not fall below B+ grades and to be allowed access to the online system at her new school to monitor her grades. We arrange for her to visit Miami one weekend per month and she is to travel with a Rangeman employee during the trip. Julie is to call home at least three times per week and holiday visit, she can choose which holiday to spend in Miami but they expect at least one holiday and final instruction, we are not to spoil her. We both agreed and felt these demands were justified.

With the coming additions in mind Ranger, Tank and I went house hunting. We spent a week looking at more than 25 houses, some too small, many that were too big and some Ranger just said no to. The second week we found a gorgeous house about thirty minutes from the office. It was a four bedroom house with a huge bonus room on the second floor. It had an attached mother-in-law suite Ranger and I thought would be perfect for Julie. The suite had a bedroom, full bath, living room and a small galley kitchen. The kitchen consisted of a small refrigerator and microwave but it did not have a stove which Ranger thought was a great idea. We sent pictures to Julie and she absolutely fell in love with her new digs as she called it, there were two entry points to the suite, one from the house and one from outside. Ranger informed Julie, Ron and Rachel that he would have Hector install locks to the exterior door that cannot be opened unless in case of fire keeping her safe and secure.

Once the Martine's heard that plan, they were all for the idea to allow Julie to have the suite. Ron was very gracious and appreciative of us including them in all aspects of the house involving Julie.

You know my husband, he will take care of the security and my Merry Men all had input into the security features, there was no way that house was going to be penetrable to any threats. My only request was for privacy on the interior. The house was somewhat move-in ready. The couple who owned it divorced and wanted out. They were agreeable on our offering price so it was signed, sealed and delivered pretty quickly. Oh, did I happen to mention it had a built in outdoor/indoor pool with a pool house. Yes sir it did, my husband did very well with this house that sat on quite a few acres of land.

Six weeks later the house was ours. We announced to our family and friends about being pregnant. Ranger's family was absolutely ecstatic over the news. My dad and Grandma Mazur were thrilled beyond belief. Val and her family were happy and my mom finally pulled her head out of her ass and accepted me for the woman I am and was looking forward to being a grandmother to our child.

Grandma Mazur instantly began hinting about moving in with us and living in the pool house. We put a stop to that talk pretty quickly, however the house attached to my parents was available since their next door neighbor Mabel Markowitz passed away. Ranger decided to buy it. This was a case of the best of both worlds. Grandma moved into her own place making my father love his son-in-law even more and my mom was pretty happy because she could keep an eye on her mother.

My pregnancy was pretty easy on me. Oh I got morning sickness but not as bad as I thought I would. At one point during my pregnancy my blood pressure sky rocketed and I had to be on bed rest for a few weeks. Bobby and the doctor attributed this to all the stress with the house, shopping for furniture and getting things ready for Julie and the baby.

Ranger was upset that I was so stressed out so he hired an interior decorator, his name was Lucas. We used the internet to get ideas for the baby's room and the entire house. If I liked something Lucas made the arrangements to have it taken care of. Lucas and I spent quite a bit of time together.

Before move in day Hector was at the house installing some new security gadgets and met Lucas, the sparks began to fly and they are now a cute adorable couple. Lucas with his impeccable taste and polished looks and Hector with his badass looks and tear tattoos, but it works for them. I did happen to tell Lucas during one of our decorating sessions that if he did anything to hurt Hector, I would hurt him in ways he can't even imagine.

Lucas did a wonderful job with Julie's suite. They skyped quite a bit and it was everything she wanted, she was a happy young lady. As a surprise Lucas arranged to have 'Apt. 324' painted above her door frame. 324 is our house address and I thought it was cute, a family of 3 soon 2 be 4. Yeah yeah, very sappy but blame it on the baby.

Our new home was absolutely beautiful magazine cover worthy with thanks to my wonderful decorator and new friend. With our move complete my stress level dropped immensely. Bobby and my doctor were both very happy about that and I was taken off bed rest I was now allowed to return on light duty at work and was ordered to take it easy under Bobby's watchful eye.

I had an FTA that was pretty easy with a huge payout. It was going to require a distraction. Eugene Plunkmeyer had a penchant towards pregnant women. He always wanted to have kids and his wife couldn't get pregnant, when she finally did he lost his wife and baby during the delivery. Ever since then he's always had a soft spot for pregnant women. Knowing this information, Eugene was going to be pretty easy to catch. He was wanted for killing gang members because one of his oldest and dearest friends that he served with in the army was robbed and killed by a gang banger.

With the help of my Merry Men, we found Eugene and put a plan in place. We knew where he was hiding. We found him living in an old garage, so I pretended that my car broke down. I wore a tight shirt to show my protruding pregnant belly. I knocked on the door and announced that I needed help. When I saw him at the top of the stairs, I thought he was going to kill me, he had an evil look on his face but as soon as he saw my belly, he softened up.

I went through the spiel about my broken down car and dead cell phone. I was pretty pathetic. He fell for it and was as gooey as melted chocolate. He immediately followed me outside and bam he was handcuffed and led away, all the while I was acting like I had no idea what was happening, not wanting him to know I had anything to do with his capture. He kept saying "don't worry little mama" and he threw me his cell phone to call for help then apologized he couldn't be of any further help to me.

I felt horrible for playing this game with him.

My payment for Plunkmeyer was large so I asked Ranger if I could use that money to decorate my Grandmother and parents houses. He said whatever I wanted was fine and he would take care of the additional costs. So I enlisted the help of Lucas and he went to town, both homes were painted and furnished with new furniture and appliances and my mom finally got her dream kitchen. My dad got his dream back yard, the yards of both houses combined with secure fencing and his top of the line grill. My old bedroom was turned into a nursery for our baby. Hector took care of all the security upgrades, there was no way these two homes were going to be compromised.

We had a housewarming party and invited all our family and friends. I even invited Joe, yep I sure did it was about time he got it through his thick skull that Ranger and I were together for life. I thought if he saw it with his own eyes, the house and pregnant belly it would sink in. Thankfully it did. He finally admitted he was licked and it was time to move on and he did. He was offered a position as Chief of Detectives in Boston which he accepted.

I was true to my word introducing Lester to quality women. After about a dozen, he finally narrowed it down to three, and then the final one. I felt like he was playing an American Idol version of dating. He has been dating an old friend from my high school, Maria Angeletti. A very nice Italian girl who was as sweet as can be, simple but cute with a personality that made Lester's heart melt. He gave up his man whore title and settled for one woman. I was so happy to see him this way, I pray that it lasts.

Julie moved in with us at the end of her school term and it was a blast to have her with us. She couldn't stop thanking us for her own private suite, it didn't seem to bother her that she could not come and go as she pleased, the suite was situated next to the large laundry room so she had her privacy. Ranger still kept tabs on her social network sites by way of Hector; she was pretty open with us. Julie and Alex have become very good friends. They keep in touch quite a lot. There's been some talk of him coming to Trenton to visit but we will have to tackle that one later on.

Ram and Victoria are still very much together; she moved to Trenton. Ram bought a cute house not too far from ours. Stephany is thrilled and Victoria is working at the school that Julie will attend next semester which works out perfectly. Stephany's school is in the same district as Julie's which allows Victoria to pick up her daughter from school and be home with her. That was Ram's idea; I think he pestered the school until they hired her.

December 1st Ricardo Carlos Manoso Jr. arrived in the world. CJ is his nickname. He truly is a gorgeous baby, he is a mix of both Ranger and I. CJ doesn't have the Mocha Latte skin that his father has but he is slightly lighter colored. Thank God he has Ranger's hair and he has my blue eyes. Ranger says he looks like Julie when she was a baby. He's going to be a tall boy and has long fingers just like his dad.

CJ has a mellow personality like his dad but he is definitely a Plum when it comes to eating, he is one very hungry boy. I had a difficult time nursing at first, but CJ and I both got the hang of it. He is a very good baby and Julie is wonderful with him, she is a huge help. Ranger told me that I was not allowed to work for at least one year and Ranger would work from home so we can bond with our baby. I wasn't happy about being told I could not work. It wasn't until we went out on a date with Julie and my parents babysitting let me tell you it was so hard being away from our son. I realized I would never be able to pull off working and leaving my boy so I was good with not working. Ranger did leave it up to me if I wanted to be a stay at home mom or work.

I will decide after the year of being CJ's mommy.

Our son loves his uncles, they spoil him rotten. Every time one of my Merry Men comes to visit, they come bearing gifts. The gifts are typically clothes that make him look like a mini Merry Man, they all adore him. CJ gets very excited when his uncles come over he giggles and waves his arms.

When it was time for his Christening, we were torn as to who would be his God Parents. We have two God Fathers, Tank and Lester and my Merry Men are his back up God Fathers and uncles, they were happy about that.

Today is CJ's 1st birthday so we are celebrating the blessed event at our home with our family, friends and the Rangeman crew. Silvio, Salvador, Rico as well as Natalie, Susan, Christina, Martha, Claudette and Darla were invited to the party. Ranger and I arranged for their flights to Trenton and they stayed at a hotel for about one week. Natalie was under strict orders by her husband that she was to behave herself which she did. I sent Ms. Dorothy, the woman we met in the restaurant during our trip a birth announcement and an invitation to the party and much to my surprise, she responded she would be attending. Having long time friends that live in the area and she needed an excuse to visit them.

Joe came into town for the birthday party and he brought his new love with him. Her name is Heidi and she is Swiss Italian. She is attractive with dark curly hair and very sweet. Ranger and my Merry Men say she and I could pass for sisters. Hector kept ranting about how that bastard cop still can't get over losing me by finding someone who looked like me. I didn't see the resemblance but everyone said it was uncanny how much we looked alike. Joe seemed happy.

CJ's 1st birthday party was so much fun. Lucas dabbles in event planning so we had a Batman theme, oh there's a shocker. Everything was perfect, the decorations, the food, entertainment and best of all the guests. Our son managed to attack his birthday cake in true Plum fashion by plopping his entire face in his cake and eating it. We laughed and proud daddy Ranger shook his head saying, "oh he's your son Babe, there's no doubting that."

My life was always so crazy, stalkers, blown up cars and apartment, living pay check to pay check. I knew that first day I met Ranger, he would have a special place in my heart but I never imagined to this extent. Once we both pulled our heads out of the sand and had our 'someday' he has done everything in his power to make me happy, show me how much he loves me, and lets me fly.

I admit, I've grown up so much, when I listened to him and let him help me, I became the best bounty hunter out there. I almost had Ranger's skills but not quite. He and my Merry Men helped me become great at my job. My skills in research and Spidey senses helped us increase our capture rate, between the guys and myself Rangeman became one of the most sought after firms in security, undercover work and bond enforcement. We were featured in magazines and the business grew.

All the alphabet agencies were knocking down our doors to work under contract for them and we did. Ranger and my Merry Men no longer had to go in the wind. They now trained others to follow in their footsteps and gave birth to the new best of the best. Oh don't get me wrong my badass husband and Merry Men are still and will always be the Best of the Best, no one will ever top them but the new men they are training come pretty close after all they are learning from Team Awesome.

Our life is a cliché, we are a very happy blessed family with wonderful family and friends that we love and love us dearly. We grow tighter each day. You walk into our house and you feel comfortable and welcomed. It is a loving home, perfect in every way imaginable oh sure we have our disagreements and we argue but boy when we make up, well it's mind blowing.

I decided to stay home for one more year but I did work from home doing research, distractions and easy FTA's when they came up. My hair is still straight, I keep up with the treatments. It's much easier because I'd rather spend time with CJ then messing with my hair. I never imagined my life would be this perfect. If I had to write a script for my happiness I could never write one that competes to my real life and the loves of my life. My life has changed so much, but here I am, In Love and Married and I wouldn't change it for the world.

I am looking forward to another trip to the happiest place on earth with our son. Oh boy, that's going to take lots of work, begging, kisses and sex, lots and lots of sex.

_**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**_

_**A/N:**_ _Well this is the end of In Love and Married. I hope you all have enjoyed it. This started out as a joint effort between Melanie Campbell and me. But after a few chapters Melanie was busy and it took a life of its own and I flew solo. _

_Thank you Natalie, Susan, Christina, Claudette, Martha and Darla for coming out to play. Natalie Pyles you are gracious in accepting that I made you a trouble maker. Hahahahaaa. I hope you ladies enjoyed your trip._

_Thank you readers for your awesome reviews and comments. I appreciate them very much, you have made this journey much easier and your words of encouragement when I was stuck helped._

_The mistakes are mine, especially when I made a major FAUX PAS in Alex's last name, when Julie first met Alex, I introduced them as Wellingford and in another chapter I referred to them as Miller. Well if Janet can do it I guess I can too, at least I caught it._

_The obvious characters, Ranger, Stephanie, Tank, Mr. and Mrs. Plum and Grandma Mazur all belong to JE, the story line and original characters are mine. _

_The Disney trip and all roadside attractions were all pulled from the internet, they are real places. I tried to do my best to keep it accurate. The event in Morrisville NC is an actual event in the town and the police officers are real and friends of mine. They were sweet to let me use them._

_Last but certainly not least, a huge huge __**THANK YOU**__ to my partner, my creative side of my brain __**Susan Peters **__for all your hard work and help with this story. Thank you for your ideas and suggestions. You are awesome as awesome can be. It was a pleasure to meet you in KY and have lunch on my way to Chicago, I can't wait to get together again._

_I promise there is a sequel to this story, Susan, Natalie and I have gone over some ideas. I'm not sure when I will start it but it will be after I finish my WIP, The Worst THREAT Ever, which will be soon._


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